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J.J.  Wilder 


Southern 
Bee  Culture 


BY 

J.  J.  WILDER 

CORDELE,  GA. 


1908 


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Views  of  the  Author's  Apiaries 


Views  of  the  Author's  Apiaries 


1  ABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Apiaries,  Modern 15 

Apiary  Work 33 

Appliances,  Apiarian 61 — 70 

Bee  Culture  in  General 13 

Bee-keeping,  Pleasure  in 72 

Bee-keeping,  Profits  in 73,  74 

Bee-keeping  as  a  Side  Issue 74 

Bee-keeping,  Extensive 75 

Bee-keeping,  Old  Way  of 102 

Bee-keeping  in  the  South 112 

Beginning  in  Bee  Culture 17 

Bees,  Uniting 80 

Bees,  Wintering 81 

Bees,  Shade  for 83 

Bees,  Races  of ; 10 

Bees,  Black 11 

Bees,  Italian 11 

Bees,  Carniolan 12 

Bees,  Caucasian 12 

Bees,  Hybrid 13 

Bees,  Buying 18 

Bees,  Transferring 20 

Bees,  Subduing ' 30 

Bees,  Moving 41 

Bees  in  Texas 113 

in  Oklahoma 122 

in  Arkansas 1 23 

in  Indian  Territory 123 

in  Mississippi 124,  125 

in  Louisiana 127,  128 

in  Tennessee 129 

in  Alabama 130,  132 

in  South  Carolina 133,  134 

in  North  Carolina 137 

in  Georgia 137—139 

in  Florida 140-143 

Cells,  Capped  and  Uncapped 7 

Chunk  Honey 59 

Colonies,  Weak .• 85 

Comb,  Hov*'  Bees  Build 71 

Diseases  of  Bees 46 

Economy  in  Bee-keeping "v ^ 

Enemies  of  Bees 


INTRODUCTION. 


My  memory  begins  with  standing  in  front  of  a  colony  of  bees,  with  a 
brush-broom  in  hand;  and  until  I  was  large  enough  to  take  interest  in  the 
apiary  work,  whenever  I  saw  a  colony  of  bees  they  commanded  my  atten- 
tion, and  my  gratification  was  not  appeased  until  I  had  seen  the  owner  and 
questioned  him  (or  her)  concerning  the  bees;  and  many  times  I  have  been 
rebuked  for  continual  questioning.  At  that  time  we  were  traveling  in  an  ox- 
wagon  over  Texas,  where  I  saw  much  of  the  bee  and  honey  industry,  and 
my  interest  in  the  honey-bee  grew  deeper,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  driving 
a  sleigh  around  over  the  wood  while  the  bee-hunters  were  finding  bee-trees, 
and  cutting  them,  was  the  joy  of  my  boyhood  days.  Whenever  bees  were 
robbed  in  the  settlement  I  was  always  on  hand,  ready  to  take  part.  I  soon 
became  a  bee-hunter  myself,  and  all  spare  moments  were  spent  at  this;  and 
many  times  I  have  looked  up  trees  on  Saturday  evenings  (for  it  was  a"bout 
all  the  leisure  time  I  had)  so  constantly  that  I  would  have  a  "crick"  in  my 
neck  and  all  the  following  week.  Many  times  I  have  cut  and  robbed  rich 
bee-trees,  and  no  one  with  me  to  share  the  pleasure. 

Besides  looking  after  bees  for  others  we  established  an  old-style  box-hive 
apiary  (for  it  was  the  best  we  could  «do  then,  for  there  was  no  better  hive 
known  to  us. 

I  took  a  leading  interest  in  this  apiary,  and  a  few  times  we  had  a 
good  apiary  established.  Then  they  would  die  back  to  only  a  few  colonies, 
and  I  did  all  I  could  to  save  them.  Finally  one  spring  we  had  only  one 
hive  left,  and  later  in  the  spring  I  turned  it  bottom  end  up  and  found  it  a 
mass  of  moth.  I  went  down  in  the  pine  thicket  and  sat  down  beside  a  tree 
and  took  a  long  cry  over  the  death  of  the  last  colony,  and  then  and  there 
I  resolved  that,  if  I  ever  had  another  start  of  bees,  I  would  give  them 
even  more  and  better  attention. 

Then  I  tried  to  buy  another  start  of  bees,  but  failed.  I  found  many  bee- 
trees,  but  failed  in  saving  the  bees;  so  for  several  years  we  had  no  bees,  and 
farm  life  was  not  what  it  once  was  to  me;  for  when  we  had  the  apiary  I 
would  spend  my  leisure  moments  at  noon  under  the  shady  mulberry-trees 
where  it  was  located,  doing  all  I  knew  how  to  help  the  bees,  and  I  would 
watch  the  little  streams  of  them  as  they  would  pour  in  and  out  of  the  hives, 
and  listen  at  night  to  their  heavy  roar.  But  now  this  inspiration  was  a  thing 
of  the  past,  and  farm  life  had  lost  its  greatest  charm  to  me. 

Several  years  elapsed,  and  I  looked  after  bees  only  for  others. 
Finally  a  widow  lady  gave  me  a  colony  for  giving  her  bees  such  good 
attention.     One  cold  winter  night  I  carried  the  hive  of  bees  home.    The  bees 
were  in  an  old-style  box  hive,  so  badly  decayed  on  one  side  at  the  bottom  that 


4  SOUTHERN  BEE-CULTURE 

I  had  to  brace  it  with  two  sticks  to  keep  it  from  tumbling  over.  I  made 
some  crude  movable- frame  hives  (for  I  had  not  yet  seen  a  patent  movable- 
frame  hive).  With  this  outfit  I  began  bee-keeping  anew,  studying  them  by 
handling  them  on  their  combs.  My  bee  business  began  to  grow ;  and  after 
keeping  bees  thus  for  several  years  I  heard  of  a  bee-keeper  who  had  bought 
some  patent  factory-made  hives.  I  paid  him  a  visit  at  once,  and  t  saw  that 
the  hives  were  just  what  I  needed,  so  I  bought  a  lot  of  them.  Next  season  I 
transferred  my  bees  into  them.  From  the  old  crude  hives  I  transfered  bees ; 
and  what  I  had  on  hand  extra,  furnished  me  fuel  during  the  summer  and 
following  winter. 

From  thfe  old  decayed  box  hive  my  bee  business  has  spread  until  bee- 
keeping is  my  business  or  sole  occupation.  Besides  establishing  five  apiaries 
of  my  own  around  in  this  section  (as  many  bees  as  I  can  give  proper  atten- 
tion to),  I  have  furnished  foundation  stock  from  which  many  apiaries  have 
been  established  in  various  sections  of  the  South  from  the  old  mother  hives. 

The  ups  and  downs  I  had  during  this  time,  I  have  not  space  to  describe  in 
this   small  volume. 

If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  man  being  called  to  do  certain  work,  I  have 
been  called  to  the  field  of  bee  culture,  for  I  feel  out  of  my  calling  at  any 
thing  else.  Although  I  have  mastered  no  little  at  eight  other  occupations, 
yet  I  feel  more  as  if  I  am  at  my  allotted  work  when  I  am  among  my  bees 
than  I  do  at  any  other  of  my  trades. 

I  have  applied  myself  to  bee-keeping  in  almost  every  conceivable  man- 
ner, keeping  colonies  of  bees  in  glass  hives  in  my  bedroom  and  on  my  ver- 
anda, keeping  close  and  constant  watch  on  them  by  day  and  by  night.  I 
have  operated  bees  successfully  and  extensively  for  extracted  chunk  and 
comb  honey  in  sections ;  I  have  traveled  to  and  fro  across  the  South,  investi- 
gating bee-keeping  and  the  honey-plants  in  many  sections;  and  if  I  did  not 
know  that  there  is  a  great  future  for  the  bee  and  honey  industry  here  I 
would  not  attempt  to  write  this  book.  While  methods'  of  apiary  work  and 
bee-keeping  differ  in  sections  and  locations,  I  hope  to  give  you  at  least  some 
practical  thoughts  along  bee-keeping  in  your  own  location. 


HONEY-BEES. 

Honey-bees  are  necessary  and  profitable  insects,  and  possess  many  inter- 
esting and  beautiful  traits  to  be  studied  and  learned.  Their  nature,  habits, 
and  field  of  work  furnish  a  broad  and  interesting  field  of  thought  for  those 
who  love  nature-study. 

Their  culture  gives  to  man  perhaps  the  most  fascinating  and  healthiest 
pursuit  known.  The  more  any  one  studies  them  and  works  among  them,  the 
deeper  his  interest  will  grow  in  their  culture,  and  the  more  interesting  it 
will  be,  for  he  is  not  likely  to  give  up  bee-keeping  entirely  if  he  does  not 
embark  upon  it  too  extensively. 

The  roar  of  the  honey-bee  over  our  heads  as  they  prey  upon  the  blos- 
som of  certain  trees  in  the  forest  is  inspiring;  and  to  watch  the  little 
stream  of  bees  as  they  pour  in  and  out  of  the  hive  is  interesting,  as  it  fur- 
nishes us  inspiration.  I  have  often  seen  very  old  people  sit  in  the  shade  about 
the  apiary  and  watch  the  bees  as  they  passed  to  and  fro.  It  furnished  them 
an  inspiration,  and  interested  them  when  nothing  else  could. 

TKen  to  remove  the  cover  of  the  hive  and  see  what  their  little  masterly 
hands  have  accomplished  is  simply  wonderful;  and  the  observant  person  can 
not  help  sympathizing  with  them  in  the  undertaking  and  accomplishing  of  the 
great  tasks,  and,  at  the  same  time,  reflect  back  to  the  creation  and  Creator 
of  all  things. 

The  honey-bee's  nature,  habits,  source,  and  manner  of  living,  and  its 
mission  in  the  world,  prove  it  to  be  the  most  marvelous  insect  of  all  the 
insect  world. 

Truly  the  honey-bee  is  worthy  of  the  title  "the  most  industrious  of  all 
living  objects." 

It  is  often  said  that  bees  work  for  nothing  and  board  themselves.  I  do 
not  know  whether  this  is  a  true  saying  or  not ;  but  I  will  say  it  is  true  where 
they  receive  no  attention  or  culture. 

A  normal  colony  of  bees  is  composed  of  three  kinds  of  bees — a  queen, 
the  workers,  and  the  drones. 

We  will  first  consider  the  queen  from  the  time  she  is  hatched  until  she 
has  an  army  of  her  own  bees  around  her.  Worker  bees  can  develop  a  queen- 
bee  from  a  fertile  egg  of  any  queen.  A  .fertile  queen  is  one  which  has 
encountered  a  drone-bee  (the  male  bee),  and  will  lay  two  kinds  of  eggs- 
fertile  and  unfertile.  The  fertile  eggs  will  produce  workers  or  queen-bees. 
The  unfertile  eggs  will  produce  only  drones.  Just  how  it  is  that  a  queen-bee 
laying  fertile  eggs  can  all  at  once  stop  laying  them  and  go  to  laying  unfer- 


6  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

tile,  is  a  question  yet  unsolved  by  scientists ;  but  in  some  unknown  way  she 
passes  the  eggs  out  without  their  coming  in  contact  with  the  germs  of  the 
drone. 

There  is  no  one  who  has  handled  bees  who  has  not  noticed  the  tiny 
elongated  white  eggs  of  queens  sticking  endwise  in  the  bottom  of  the  cells, 
in  the  center  of  the  comb,  or  wherever  the  bees  are  rearing  their  young  or 
brood-nest,  as  it  is  called.  The  queen  deposits  these  eggs  there  by  inserting 
her  abdomen  down  into  the  cells,  and  in  a  moment  the  egg  is  laid,  and  her 
abdomen  is  drawn  out  and  inserted  into  another  cell,  and  on  she  goes  over 
the  comb,  laying  from  one  thousand  to  three  thousand  eggs  each  day  during 
the  height  of  egg-laying,  which  is  nearly  twice  her  weight  in  eggs,  every 
24  hours. 

Now  going  back  to  our  subject,  how  queens  are  reared,  in  three  days  after 
the  egg  is  laid,  the  temperature  the  bees  keep  in  the  hive,  and  the  attention 
given  it,  will  hatch  it,  when  it  will  be  a  tiny  larva.  At  once  the  nurse-bees 
deposit  around  and  over  this  tiny  bee  the  richest  and  most  thoroughly 
digested  food  possible,  which  food  is  called  royal  jelly.  The  nurse-bees 
continue  to  deposit  this  rich  food  on  the  larva,  and  it  continues  to  lavish 
itself  on  it,  and  in  about  three  days  the  bees  will  begin  to  en- 
large the  cell,  and  they  will  continue  enlarging  it  and  feeding  the  larva  for 
about  three  days  more,  or  six  days  from  the  time  the  egg  was  hatched.  By 
this  time  the  larva  has  developed  wonderfully,  and  is  lying  in  a  mass  of  this 
rich  food ;  and  a  wax  cell  as  large  as  the  smallest  finger  on  an  adult's  hand, 
and  half  as  long,  has  been  built  out  from  the  comb,  extending  downward  and 
capped  over  their  futui-e  mother.  Now  the  queen  enters  her  larval  state  in 
her  cell,  and  continues  thus  for  about  ten  days ;  but  let  us  look  at  this 
cell  for  a  moment,  which  shows  that  the  bees  have  built  in  with  great  care, 
and  that  it  contains  something  that  they  prize  greatly.  The  instinct  of  the 
bees  has  guided  them  in  this  work,  and  they  have  done  the  best  they  could, 
and  did  what  man  can  not  do  for  them;  but  he  can  assist  them  in  this  very 
important  work,  so  that  they  will  raise  as  fine  a  mother  as  possible  (see 
"queen-rearing"). 

Now,  at  the  end  of  the  ten  days,  or  about  sixteen  days  after  the  egg  is 
hatched,  the  young  queen  will  gnaw  her  way  out  of  the  cell;  but  the  bees 
generally  thin  the  cell  down  at  the  end  so  the  queen  can  easily  gnaw  out. 
The  first  four  or  six  days  after  the  young  queen  emerges  from  her  cell  she 
will  remain  in  the  hive  or  the  comb,  crawling  about  over  the  interior  of  the 
hive.  At  the  end  of  this  time  during  the  middle  of  a  warm  sunny  day,  she 
will  be  seen  on  the  alighting-board,  then  she  will  be  seen  out  flying  around  the 
hive  in  a  circling  manner,  then  back  into  it  again;  but  in  a  short  time  she 
will  take  another  flight ;  and  after  she  has  taken  several  of  these  short  flights 
she  will  disappear  in  the  element,,  and  during  this  flight  she  is  encountered 
by  a  drone  (the  male  bee),  and  returns  to  the  hive,  and  is  never  again 
encountered  by  the  drone,  though  she  lays  thousands  and  thousands  of  eggs, 
and  never  again  leaves  her  hive  unless  it  is  to  go  out  with  a  swarm  of 
bees. 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 


Capped  and  Uncapped  Cells 


8  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

In  six  or  eight  days  after  she  returns  to  the  hive  from  her  mating-tour 
she  will  begin  to  lay  and  keep  up  her  colony  of  bees.  While  she  is  subject 
to  death  at  any  time,  she  may  live  to  be  the  mother  of  the  colony  for  four 
or  six  years. 

Though  there  is  plenty  of  honey  in  the  cells  which  the  queen  crawls 
over,  yet  she  is  mostly  fed  by  her  daughters.  Especially  is  this  true  during 
a  honey-flow  or  when  the  bees  are  breeding  fast  or  rearing  young  bees 
rapidly.  They  will  keep  her  fed  up  to  the  highest  egg-laying  point  possible. 
It  seems  that  worker-bees  can  not  show  their  affection  for  their  mother 
enough.  As  she  crawls  around  over  the  comb  they  move  out  of  her  way  and 
give  her  passing  room ;  and  as  soon  as  she  halts  to  rest,  one  more  will  offer 
her  food,  and  others  will  gather  up  around  her  in  a  loving  manner,  giving 
her  loving  touches  and  strokes. 


Queen  and  Retinue 

The  queen  is  the  only  perfect  female  bee  in  the  hive.  The  large  amount 
of  rich  food  which  is  deposited  around  her,  and  which  she  consumes  while 
in  the  cell,  develops  her  ovaries,  and  therefore  she  is  a  perfectly  developed 
bee. 

We  will  next  consider  the  worker-bee,  or  the  bees  which  gather  all  the 
honey,  build  all  the  comb,  carry  in  all  the  pollen  and  water,  feed  all  the 
young,  and  perform  all  the  work  about  the  colony  except  the  egg-laying, 
which  the  queen  does. 

Worker-bees  are  reared  in  the  smaller  size  of  cells  on  the  comb;  but 
before  the  queen  lays  eggs  in  them  they  are  cleaned  out  and  polished  by  the 
bees ;  then  the  queen,  making  trips  over  the  comb,  looking  for  cells  to  deposit 
her  eggs  in,  finds  them  thus  made  ready  for  her,  when  she  deposits  eggs  in 
themi  In  three  days  the  eggs  are  hatched,  and  for  the  next  three  days  the 
tiny  larva  is  fed  as  they  would  feed  one  to  develop  a  queen;  but  at  the  end 
of  three  days  they  change  the  food  of  the  larva  and  give  it  much  coarser  diet 
(a  milky-looking  substance),  then  feed  it  on  this  food  for  three  days  more. 
As  it  lies  coiled  up  in  the  bottom  of  the  cell,  the  nurse-bees  are  constantly 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  9 

depositing  food  around  it,  and  on  the  sixth  day  after  the  egg  hatches  the  cell 
is  capped  over,  and  soon  the  larva  uncoils  itself  and  eats  up  all  its  food, 
then  begins  to  spin  its  cocoon  about  as  other  insects  do.  In  about  24  hours 
this  task  is  performed,  and  lit  is  incased  in  its  silken  home.  Theri  it  var- 
nishes it,  and  turns  its  head  toward  the  capped  end  of  the  cell.  Now  the 
larV'a  is  in  its  pupal  state,  during  yvhich  time  the  legs,  wings,  etc.,  are 
formed  and  colored ;  then  in  about  six  days  the  pupal  skin  will  become  loose, 
and  be  cast  to  the  bottom  of  the  cell,  and  then  the  worker-bee  is  developed 
and  begins  to  move  about  in  the  cell,  and  soon  acquires  strength  enough  to 
gnaw  its  way  out.  In  about  21  daj'S  from  the  time  the  queen  deposits  the  egg 
the  worker  emerges  from  the  cell;  and  as  soon  as  it  does,  by  the  use  of 
its  legs  it  frees  itself  of  the  particles  of  pupal  skin,  which  may  be  yet  cling- 
ing to  it;  and  during  the  time  it  is  moving  about  on  the  comb  it  thrusts 
its  head  down  into  the  cells,  eating,  and  feeding  the  young  larvae.  Thus 
it  goes  from  cell  to  cell,  giving  nourishment  to  the  younger,  for  about  eight 
or  ten  days ;  then  it  changes  from  a  nurse-bee  to  a  field-bee ;  and  if  there  is 
any  pollen  or  honey  in  the  field  it  will  wear  its  life  out  in  a  few  days.  Honey- 
gathering  is  perhaps  the  highest  work  a  worker-bee  aspires  to ;  and  when  it 
begins  this  work  its  energies  are  excited  beyond  its  physical  power  to  save 
as  much  honey  as  possible  to  tide  them  over  in  the  future.  In  a  few  days 
it  may  be  found  dead  in  a  blossom  or  under  a  tree  where  it  was  gathering 
honey  or  pollen,  or  in  the  forest  or  field  over  which  it  was  flying,  or  on 
the  ground  in  front  of  its  hive  in  which  it  died,  or  give  away  under  its 
heavy  load  of  work,  and  it  is  dragged  out  by  its  sisters  and  dropped  on 
the  ground  to  die ;  or  it  may  be  overtaken  by  some  of  its  enemies  and  killed. 

The  average  life  of  a  worker-bee  is  estimated  at  60  days  from  the  time  it 
hatches  from  the  egg.  If  it  is  raised  late. in  the  fall,  or  during  winter,  it  will 
live  longer,  or  over  the  winter,  perhaps.  But  if  it  is  raised  during  the  honey- 
flow,  or  the  bees'  busy  season,  it  will  live  less  than  60  days. 

The  worker-bee  is  an  imperfect  bee  because  its  sisters  change  its  diet 
when  it  is  about  three  days  old,  and  give  it  such  food  as  will  not  develop 
it  to  a  perfect  bee. 

We  will  next  consider  the  drone,  which  is  the  largest  bee  in  the  hive, 
and  possesses  no  sting.  It  is  known  everywhere  and  by  nearly  every  person 
as  an  idler,  loafer,  or  a  lazy  bee.  But  he  is  the  male  bee,  and  by  no  means 
a  worthless  one,  but  the  only  purpose  of  his  existence  is  to  fertilize  th« 
queen;  and  in  performing  this  act  he  imparts  his  life  to  the  queen  and 
instantly  dies,  so  it  is  said. 

The  drones  are  raised  in  larger  cells  than  the  workers.  They  can  be 
easily  detected  by  examining  the  comb  of  a  colony  of  bees,  for  the  cells  are 
much  larger.  The  comb  containing  these  large  cells  is  called  drone  comb. 
The  drone  is  raised  about  as  the  workers  are ;  but  he  is  in  the  cell  about  three 
or.  four  days  longer,  or  about  24  days  from  the  time  the  queen  deposits  the 
egg  in  the  cell;  and,  as  previously  explained,  the  egg  that  produces  a  drone 
is  an  unfertilized  one ;  consequently  the  drone  has  only  one  parent— a  .mother 
— but  no  father. 


lo  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

Drones  are  raised  only  during  the  spring  months  and  summer,  when 
bees  are  spreading  their  brood  rapidly,  and  when  they  are  expected  to  be 
needed  to  fertilize  queens. 

Drones  have  a  very  easy  existence.  They  stay  in  the  hive  and  eat  honey 
when  they  feel  like  it;  then  when  it  is  uncomfortable  in  the  hive  they  leave  it 
and  sail  around  in  the  cool  air  and  return  when  they  feel  disposed  to  do  so. 
Then  during  winter  or  cold  weather,  if  there  are  any  drones  in  a  hive  they 
will  be  found  about  the  middle  of  the  cluster,  where  they  will  be  sure  to 
keep  warm  ;  so  it  is  the  nature  of  the  drones  to  keep  comfortable,  have  plenty 
to  eat,  and  do  nothing.  Then,  too,  the  drones  are  the  only  bees  which  have 
the  privilege  of  going  into  any  hive  they  wish  in  the  apiary,  and  go  from 
hive  to  hive  if  they  desire;  but  they  are  apt  to  stay  where  they  are  given 
the  best  reception ;  but,  unfortunately,  his  days  are  numbered ;  for  as  soon  as 
the  bees  decide  not  to  swarm,  and  that  drones  will  not  be  needed,  the  workers 
will  turn  their  vengeance  upon  them,  and  soon  the  colonies  are  about  rid  of 
them.  The  bees  do  not  kill  many  of  them,  but  they  pull  them  out  of  the 
hives  and  torment  them  by  pulling  them  around  by  the  wings,  and  continue 
to  hold  to  them,  even  after  the  drones  consent  to  leave,  and  are  often  on  the 
ground  near  the  hive.  Sometimes  these  drones  will  collect  in  great  numbers 
in  the  weak  and  helpless  colonies,  and  especially  those  which  are  queenless, 
and  soon  eat  up  their  honey.  But  this  is  not  a  common  occurrence;  for  I 
believe  that,  when  drones  are  not  wanted,  they  will  wander  off  and  die ;  for 
it  seems  to  be  the  instinct  of  the  bee  to  do  this,  for  the  workers,  as  soon  as 
they  realize  that  they  are  of  no  more  service  to  the  colony,  will  leave  it  to 
die.  I  have  seen  many  of  them  drop  from  the  cluster,  and  crawl  to  the  edge 
of  the  alighting-board,  then  drop  on  the  ground  and  die,  wandering,  may  be, 
a  few  feet  from  the  hive,  but  never  making  any  effort  to  return  to  it. 

There  is  a  worthless  bee  of  no  importance,  and  a  hindrance  to  its  race, 
w^hich  we  will  consider  under  "Queen-Rearing." 


RACES  OF  BEES. 
Their  Good  and  Bad  Qualities. 

Better  stock  for  our  apiaries  has  not  been  considered  enough  in  the 
South.  There  have  been  too  many  empty  or  light  hives  on  hand  at  robbing- 
time  to  expect  great  progress  in  the  bee  and  honey  industry.  There  have  also 
been  too  many  poor  honey  years  for  it  to  take  a  rise.  Locations  have  too 
often  been  considered  poor  for  bees.  Honey-plants  have  been  abused  for  not 
secreting  honey.  The  forest  has  been  cleared  too  much  to  keep  bees  suc- 
cessfully, etc.  Everything  has  been  brought  up  against  bee-keeping  except 
the   scrubby  stock  of  bees  that  are  most  commonly  found  in  our  apiaries. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  n 

Now,  dear  reader,  right  here  is  where  the  trouble  lies  in  bee  culture  in 
the  South.  The  run-down  race  of  bees  has  been  tolerated  too  long.  Condi- 
tions would  have  been  much  better  if  even  this  race  of  bees  had  been  looked 
after ;  and  as  soon  as  this  is  done  you  will  see  progressive  apiaries  appear  all 
over  the  Southland. 

Black  Bees. 

The  black  or  German  bees  are  the  most  common  ones  found  in  the  South, 
and  there  are  two  varieties  of  them.  One  has  a  brownish  waist,  and  short 
dubby  abdomen.  Another  variety  is  black,  and  has  a  longer  and  smaller 
abdomen.  We  will  first  consider  the  brown  variety,  as  it  is  most  common. 
They  are  gentle  where  they  receive  constant  attention,  and  are  very  good 
honey-gatherers  when  they  receive  culture  and  there  is  plenty  of  honey  in 
the  fields ;  but  they  will  not  exert  themselves  to  get  it  when  it  is  not  plen- 
tiful, or  the  honey-plants  ate  yielding  sparingly.  In  most  sections  in  the 
South  we  have  a  long  slow  honey-flow  during  summer  and  fall,  and  they 
will  live  in  a  hand-to-mouth  manner  during  this  time,  and  will  store  very 
little  if  any  surplus  honey.  Therefore  they  die  heavily,  during  fall,  winter, 
and  spring.  They  have  two  good  qualities.  One  is  that  they  are  good  comb- 
builders,  and  cap  their  honey  beautifully  white;  and  their  other  good  quality 
is  that  they  can  be  easily  built  up  to  a  non-swarming  point,  and  a  large  comb- 
honey  business  established  and  easily  operated. 

The  queen  of  the  brown  bees,  even  when  they  are  raised  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions,  are  not  very  prolific,  and  for  this  reason  they  can  easily 
be  brought  up  to  the  non-swarming  point. 

We  will  next  consider  the  black  bees,  which  are  not  as  common  as  they 
were  many  years  ago  when  the  South  was  mostly  a  forest.  They  are  very 
spiteful  and  furious  stingers— so  much  so  that  brimstone  has  almost  exter- 
minated them  in  many  sections.  They  seem  to  be  a  wild  race  of  bees  and 
love  the  forest,  and  are  too  spiteful  to  be  cultivated  to  any  great  extent,  and 
so  are  considered  the  uncultivated  race  of  bees. 

I  have  noticed  that  comb  built  by  them  sometimes  has  cells  not  uniform 
in  size,  and  that  many  of  the  workers  are  very  small  and  uneven  in  size. 
Perhaps  they  are  no  more  prolific  than  the  brown  strain,  and  on  account 
of  their  spitefulness  will  never  receive  much  cultivation. 

The  queens  of  the  German  bees  do  not  lay  as  many  eggs  as  queens 
of  more  prolific  varieties  do;  and  especially  is  this  true  after  spring  at  the 
close  of  the  first  honey-flow.  They  seem  almost  to  stop  egg-laying,  and  do 
not  get  it  to  its  height  again  before  the  following  spring,  and  therefore  there 
is  not  much   honey  saved  during  the  summer  and  fall  honey-flows. 

Itauan  Bees. 
The   Italian  bees  are  the  next  most  common   race   here,  and  there  are 
several    varieties    of  them— five-banded,    three-banded,    golden,    and    leather- 
colored  Italians,  etc.     They  are  better  known  as  yell6w  bees,  because  they 


12  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

have  yellow  bands  around  their  abdomens.  The  queens  of  this  race  are 
very  prolific.  They  will  continue  to  spread  their  brood,  and  keep  egg-laying 
at  a  high  pitch  from  flow  to  flow,  or  the  entire  season  for  bees  to  work,  and 
will  store  a  surplus  of  honey  during  summer  and  fall,  and  go  into  winter 
quarters  strong  and  in  good  condition. 

The  different  varieties  of  Italian  bees  are  about  alike  as  honey-gath- 
erers ;  but  they  are  all  hard  to  get  to  work  in  comb-honey  supers,  while  the 
blacks  will  easily  enter  them,  and  many  times  will  store  nearly  all  their 
honey  in  them,  so  they  will  have  to  be  fed  soon  after  the  honey-flow  if  the 
honey  is  all  removed  from  the  supers.  The  Italians,  being  very  prolific,  will 
swarm  before  they  will  enter  the  supers.  Their  swarming  is  hard  to  con- 
trol, and  will  give  the  extensive  comb-honey  producer  a  lot  of  trouble  in  this 
respect.  Then,  too,  most  varieties  of  them  are  poor  comb-builders,  and  cap 
the  honey  flat,  or  down  on  it  in  the  cells,  which  gives  it  a  watery  appearance, 
and''spoils  its  looks;  and  they  do  not  attach  the  comb  well  to  the  sections, 
especially  at  the  bottom,  and  will  pull  the  honey  too  far  away  from  the  sec- 
tions, and  build  it  thin  at  the  bottom,  and  thereby  make  too  many  light-weight 
sections. 

The  golden  and  five-banded  Italians  are  worse  in  these  respects  than  the 
other  varieties.  The  three-banded  and  leather-colored  Italians,  or  the  darker 
strains  of  them,  give  better  satisfaction  in  the  production  of  comb  honey. 
The  Italian  bees  are  very  gentle  where  they  are  kept  pure,  are  great  honey- 
gatherers,  and  large  crops  of  chunk  or  extracted  honey  can  be  secured  by 
them. 

The  Italian  bees  have  another  failing.  In  thdr  haste  to  gather  and  store 
honey,  they  cap  the  poorer  grades  too  soon,  and  do  not  evaporate  or  ripen 
it  enough,  or  quit  it  before  they  have  done  enough  to  it;  consequently  it 
soon  sours,  or  ferments,  in  the  comb,  and  is  unwholesome;  but  they  will 
secure  or  keep  good  grades  of  honey  as  well  as  any  bees. 

Honey  will  granulate,  but  will  not  sour  if  the  bees  give  it  proper  care 
or  keep  it  spread  out  in  the  comb  until  it  is  thoroughly  evaporated.  In 
many  sections  of  the  South  we  have  a  flow  of  this  honey  during  summer 
or  fall,  which  requires  more  evaporating  than  other  honey. 

Carniolan  Bees. 

The  queens  of  this  race  of  bees  are  very  prolific,  and  their  workers  are 
gentle  and  great  honey-gatherers,  and  they  cap  their  honey  beautifully  white. 
They  are  good  comb-builders,  and  in  other  respects  are  about  like  the  Italians. 


Caucasian  Bees. 

This  is  a  new  variety  of  bees  which  of  late  years  has  been  imported  into 
the  United  States  by  the  Government.  Their  queens  are  very  prolific,  and 
their  workers  are  very  gentle  and  great  honey-gatherers.  They  have  a 
very  compact  brood-nfest,  and  are  still  and  quiet  on  the  comb  while  they  are 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  13 

being  handled;  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  handle  them,  as  they  do  not  sting, 
run,  fly,  and  boil  out  of  their  hives  as  some  other  races  do.  They  are  great 
comb-builders,  and  cap  their  honey  snow-white,  making  it  a  fancy  article  in 
appearance.  They  are  also  great  cell-builders.  A  strong  colony  will  build 
from  20  to  40  large  cells  containing  queens  well  developed.  This  is  one 
thing  to  their  credit,  showing  that  they  are  a  very  prolific  race,  are  easily 
kept  up,  and  better  for  slipshod  bee-keeping  than  some  other  races  of  bees. 
They  not  only  behave  themselves  well  in  and  around  the  hives,  but  around 
the  apiary,  even  while  they  are  being  molested. 

The  Caucasian  bees  will  come  as  near  gathering  honey  every  day  in 
the  year  as  any  bees,  and  at  the  same  time  they  will  keep  it  spread  out  in 
the  comb  uncapped  longer  than  any  ot!her  bees  I  have  ever  had  any  experi- 
ence with;  and  even  the  poor  grades  of  honey  are  thus  made  wholesome. 
But  being  very  prolific  they  are  great  swarmers,  and  hard  to  control  in 
this  respect.  Their  only  failing  is  that  they  will  carry  into  their  hives  a  lot 
of  propolis  or  bee-glue  in  the  fall  of  the  year  if  there  is  no  honey-flow  on. 

Hybrid  Bees. 

These  are  crosses  between  races  of  bees  which  sometimes  make  a  great 
improvement  in  the  honey-bee,  combining  the  good  qualities  of  two  races  in 
one;  but  generally  these  crosses  are  too  cross,  and  it  is  considered  best 
to  keep  stock  as  nearly  pure  as  possible.  The  crosses  between  blacks  and 
Italians  show  great  improvement  in  the  prolificness  of  the  blacks;  but  at 
the  same  time  they  are  very  spiteful  and  unpleasant  to  handle.  Crosses 
between  blacks  and  Caucasians  rpmain  gentle  and  pleasant  to  handle,  and 
show  a  great  improvement  in  the  blacks.  While  the  Caucasians  possess  all 
the  good  qualities  of  the  blacks,  and  are,  besides,  very  prolific,  it  would 
not  pay  to  mix  the  two  races ;  but  if  it  were  done  it  would  also  be  a  desir- 
able strain  of  bees.  A  cross  between  Italians  and  Caucasiaus  makes  good 
workers  but  very  furious  stingers— so  much  so  that  they  are  not  desirable 
bees. 

If  any  reader  is  not  satisfied  with  his  race  of  bees,  and  is  not  getting 
returns  from  them  he  should,  the  above  may  help  him  to  select  a  better  race. 

There  are  other  races  and  strains  of  bees,  but  not  common  in  the  South. 


BEE  CULTURE. 


We  will  begm  bee  culture  from  a  bare  swarm  of  bees  which  has  just 
issued,  and  settled  on  some  object  about  the  apiary.  Now,  the  aim  of  this 
swarm  is  good,  for  they  propose  to  go  into  some  crevice  or  hollow  place,  and 
there  establish  for  themselves  a  permanent  abiding-place  and  be  rich  in  honey 
and  also  send  out.  other  swarms  to  other  places,  and  thereby  continue  the 


14  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

existence  of  their  race.  But  they  are  subject  to  failure.  Why?  Because 
they  are  dependent  on  man  for  culture  and  weather  for  progress,  which 
I  wish  to  prove.  As  soon  as  this  clustered  swarm  of  bees  is  hived  in  a  good 
box,  log  gum,  box  hive,  a  neat  modern  hive,  or  reaches  its  future  abiding- 
place  in  a  crevice  or  hollow  in  a  tree  in  the  forest,  the  bees  will  at  once  begin 
to  build  comb  from  the  top  of  the  hollow  or  some  other  seemingly  good 
place  to  them,  or  in  the  top  of  the  hive,  should  they  be  hived,  and  store  their 
honey  and  rear  their  young.  As  they  build  the  comb  downward  they  will 
form  what  bee-keepers  call  a  brood-nest,  which  will  be  about  the  center  of 
the  mass  of  comb  when  it  is  completed.  This  central  portion  of  the  comb 
called  the  brood-nest  will  be  occupied  by  the  queen  and  the  nurse-bees  in 
rearing  the  young.  In  the  comb  around  this  they  will  store  the  honey  upon 
which  they  live.  Now  the  colony  of  bees  is  established  in  its  new  quarters, 
but  not  permanently,  unless  man  comes  to  their  assistance.  At  the  time 
this  swarm  issued  from  their  parent  colony  there  was  a  honey-flow  on,  and 
prosperity  was  smiling  upon  them  with  a  great  glare,  and  even  the  weather 
conditions  seemed  favorable  to  their  progress;  but  soon  after  they  are  in 
their  new  quarters,  weather  conditions  may  change,  the  wind,  cold,  or  rain 
may  drive  them  in  from  their  pasture  where  they  are  gathering  honey;  and 
by  the  time  the  weather  changes  in  their  favor  the  honey-plant  that  was 
yielding  honey  is  done  blooming,  and  they  haven't  enough  honey  saved  to 
tide  them  over  the  honey-dearth  until  some  other  honey-plant  begins  to 
blossom.  The  result  is  that  the  once  strong  vigorous  swarm  of  bees,  so  full 
of  life,  and  destined  to  accomplish  so  much,  is  now  on  the  road  to  destruc- 
tion, and  will  soon  reach  it  if  men  do  not  intervene  and  feed  them.  Should 
they  scrimp  along  and  not  all  perish  until  the  next  honey-plant  came  in 
bloom  they  would  not  be  in  any  condition  to  gather  honey;  consequently 
they  would  die  soon  afterward,  or  be  cleaned  up  by  the  bee-moth. 

Suppose  the  weather  conditions  remain  favorable  after  this  swarm  issues, 
and  they  save  plenty  of  honey  to  tide  them  over  any  honey-dearth,  the 
queen,  which  does  all  the  egg-laying  for  the  colony,  is  likely  to  die  at  any 
time ;  and  very  often,  during  a  honey-dearth,  she  will  cease  egg-laying  for 
a  short  time,  and  may  die  during  this  time,  and  leave  the  colony  with  no 
eggs  or  very  young  bees  from  which  to  rear  them  another  mother.  The 
colony  will  speedily  go  to  destruction  if  man  does  not  come  to  their  assist- 
ance and  give  them  another  queen  and  some  eggs  or  young  bees  from  which 
they  can  rear  them  another  queen. 

If  the  queen  does  not  fail  in  this  way  she  may  for  some  cause  cease 
laying  worker  or  fertile  eggs,  and  lay  unfertile  ones ;  and  before  the  bees 
are  aware  of  the  failure  of  their  mother  they  have  nothing  from  which  to 
rear  them  another  queen  except  unfertile  eggs  or  young  drones,  which  can 
not  produce  a  queen.     So  the  swarm  is  again  at  the  mercy  of  man. 

Then,  again,  suppose  the  colony  would  thrive  and  cast  a  swarm.  The 
old  queen  would  go  with  it  and  the  parent  (or  old)  colony  would  be  left  in 
the  care  of  a  young  queen  which,  on  her  wedding-tour  during  which  she  is 
mated,  is  lost  or  returns  to  the  wrong  hive  and  is  killed  by  the  bees.     The 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  15 

colony  has  no  brood  or  eggs;  and  if  they,  are  not  supplied  with  some  eggs 
from  another  colony,  or  a  young  queen  is  given  them,  they  will  go  to 
nothing,  and  the  colony  will  be  lost.  Then,  again,  the  bees  m^y  not  super- 
sede their  mother,  when  she  is  old  and  failing,  with  another  queen,  think- 
ing that,  may  be,  she  will  do  better  until  they  dwindle  down  so  low  that 
the  bee-moth  will  destroy  them  unless  the  failure  of  their  queen  is  detected 
and  she  is  killed  and  the  colony  supplied  with  another.  So  there  can  be  no 
question  that  bees  need  a  guiding  hand  and  culture;  and  if  they  have  it, 
great  progress  will  be  made  in  the  industry. 

Now  let  us  look  into  the  culture  and  the  progeny  or  race  of  this  swarm 
of  bees  as  we  have  traced  it  and  pointed  out  some  of  its  needs  to  prolong 
its  existence;  and  mark  too,  that  it  was  located  in  the  brood-nest  and  could 
not  be  supplied  unless  we  had  access  to  it;  or,  in  other  words,  could  take 
the  combs  out  one  by  one  and  examine  them.  So  it  is  very  necessary  that 
the  swarm  be  hived  in  a  modern  hive,  and  that  the  comb  be  movable,  or 
their  culture  will  be  at  an  end,  and  the  loss  of  them  may  be  expected  at  any 
time.  Now  that  the  swarm  is  in  a  modern  hive  with  combs  built  and  the 
brood-nest  established,  it  should  never  be  lost  as  long  as  a  good  queen  is 
occupying  it  with  plenty  of  stores  around  it;  and,  as  previously  explained, 
this  can  easily  be  done  by  inserting  combs  of  eggs  and  brood  and  queens 
into  it  at  these  critical  times  of  the  colony;  and  to  keep  it  in  the  best  pos- 
sible condition  it  must  be  constantly  examined  during  the  bees'  working 
season.  In  examining  this  brood-nest  from  time  to  time  it  should  never 
be  allowed  to  be  filled  up  with  honey.  Bees  will  often  do  this  for  lack  of 
room  somewhere  else  to  store  their  honey  and  crowd  the  queen  out  with 
it  or  narrow  it  down  to  a  very  small  space.  Don't  let  this  happen;  and 
should  it  happen,  remove  the  honey  at  once  and  keep  it  large  and  in  a 
thriving  condition— that  is,  full  of  eggs  and  young  bees  in  all  stages  of 
development  during  spring,  summer,  and  fall.  Nothing  but  a  prolific  queen 
of  any  race  of  bees  should  be  allowed  in  a  colony  of  bees ;  so  the  race  of  this 
swarm  of  bees  should  be  taken  into  consideration  as  soon  as  it  is  hived; 
and  if  it  is  not  of  some  leading  honey-gathering  variety  a  queen  should  be 
ordered  for  it  at  once,  for  it  does  not  pay  to  cultivate  bees  if  they  haven't 
good  qualities;  and  the  results  will  never  be  satisfactory  in  cents  and  dol- 
lars from  the  culture  of  a  rundown  or  inferior  race  of  bees;  and  this  should 
be  kept  in  mind  along  as  we  give  them  culture  and  fresh  blood  added  to  the 
apiary  from  time  to  time. 


MODERN  APIARIES,  BUT  MODERN  METHODS  NOT  APPLIED. 

There  are  many  small  apiaries  scattered  all  over  the  South  where  modern 
hives  have  been  adopted  but  modern  methods  of  apiary  work  have  not  been 
applied.  The  bees  in  these  hives  are  in  various  conditions,  and  the  comb 
built  in  various  ways  in  them.     Some  bought  the  hives  for  the  purpose  of 


l6  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

giving  their  bees  culture,  but  never  got  around  to  it.  Others  bought  them 
because  they  were  sustaining  heavy  losses  by  using  the  old-style  box  hives, 
thinking  that  the  hives  were  the  cause  of  the  loss.  And  some  bought  a  few 
hives  just  to  try  them.  The  fact  is,  we  have  a  part  or  all  of  our  bees  in 
patented  hives,  and  we  don't  know  their  condition  any  more  than  if  they 
were  in  old  box  hives ;  and  from  a  bee-keej>ing  standpoint  they  are  no  better 
off  except  a  few  dollars  tied  up.  No  decision  as  to  bee-keeping  or  the  patent 
hives  can  be  reached. 

I>ear  reader,  the  adoption  of  modern  hives  is  one  step  in  the  right 
direction  if  they  are  properly  put  together  when  the  bees  are  hived  in  them ; 
but  if  this  step  is  all,  invest  the  money  you  expect  to  buy  trtore  patented 
hives  with  in  some  other  direction  and  hive  your  bees  in  boxes.  But  a  better 
thing  to  do  would  be  to  get  in  touch  with  your  bees.  Know  how  to  lay 
your  hand  on  them  and  what  to  depend  on. 


THE  INTERESTED  BUT  NON-PURSUANT. 

It  is  astonishing  to  know  how  many  there  are  interested  in  bee-keeping,, 
but  who  are  not  pursuing  it  to  any  extent  for  reasons  they  can  not  always 
assign.  There  are  but  very  few  who  are  interested  in  bee  culture;  and  yet 
there  are  but  few  who  are  so  situated  in  life  that  they  could  not  keep  and 
care  for  as  much  as  one  colony  somewhere  about  their  premises,  and  several 
times  a  season  they  could  get  a  taste  of  new  honey  at  "home;  and  during 
that  time  they  could  acquire  no  little  knowledge  of  the  nature  and  habits  of 
bees,  so  that,  when  they  were  differently  situated  in  life  they  could  establish 
and  operate  successfully  an  apiary  large  enough  to  supply  the  table  at  home  at 
least.  This  would  assure  a  pure  article  and  the  children  and  other  members 
of  the  family  could  be  easily  taught  bee  culture,  and  learn  it,  combining  theory 
and  practice.  There  are  many  people  grown  and  growing  up  in  the  world 
who  have  no  correct  ideas  of  giving  bees  culture.  This  lack  of  general  in- 
formation could  be  overcome  to  a  great  extent  if  we  had  a  lot  more  small 
bee-keepers.  Besides  bee  education,  more  honey  would  be  consimied  and 
take  the  place  of  some  of  our  inferior  sweets,  and  more  vigor  and  health 
would  be  added  to  the  human  family. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  the  great- shortage  in  honey-saving;  and,  dear  in- 
terested reader,  deepen  your  interest  in  the  little  honey-bee  by  keeping  a 
colony  or  a  small  apiary,  and  reach  out  your  hands  for  at  least  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  heaven-sent  food,  for  nature  needs  it  and  is  calling  for  it,  and 
it  is  going  to  waste. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  17 

THE  BEGINNER  AND  THE  BEGINNING  IN  BEE  CULTURE. 

Who  is  the  beginner  in  bee  culture?  There  are  many  people  interested 
in  bees  and  are  buying  bee-literature,  and  reading  and  studying  bee  culture 
in  view  of  some  time  establishing  and  operating  an  apiary  when  they  get 
better  located  in  life.  There  are  many  who  are  keeping  bees  in  old-style  box 
hives,  but  who  are  interested  in  their  bees,  and  are  entertaining  the  thought 
of  establishing  a  modern  apiary.  There  are  some  who  already  have  their 
bees  in  modern  hives;  but  there  is  a  mountain  of  doubts  rolled  up  between 
them  and  their  apiary,  and  they  are  in  a  quandary  whether  to  continue  to 
cultivate  them  or  not.  Then  there  are  many  who  are  deeply  interested  in 
their  bees,  but  somehow  never  get  around  to  give  them  attention.  And  there 
are  also  some  who  are  enthusiastic  over  their  little  industrious  objects,  and 
have  modern  apiaries  established,  and  are  endeavoring  to  cultivate  their^ees. 

Evidently  I  have  classified  'the  beginner  in  bee  culture  somewhere,  and 
we  will  next  consider  the  beginning.  Of  course,  we  must  have  foundation 
stock  or  a  starting  of  bees — see  "Buying  Bees,"  in  order  that  we  may  properly 
apply  what  we  read,  and  see  the  actual  results  so  we  may  practice  as  we 
learn.  The  greatest  essential  in  learning  a  new  line  of  business  is  applying 
the  methods  of  work  already  outlined,  and  not  by  experimenting.  In  other 
words,  apply  what  some  one  else  has  learned,  and  follow  instructions  as 
close  as  possible,  and  not  go  down  to  the  bottom  and  begin  by  experimenting, 
and  suffer  the  great  loss  that  is  usually  sustained  by  experimenting,  and  dur- 
ing the  time  sustain  a  whole  lot  of  unpleasant  and  unsatisfactory  experiences. 

If  I  have  a  beginner  student  in  bee  culture  who  starts  off  to  experiment- 
ing I  lose  hope  of  him,  and  nine  times  out  of  ten  he  will  fail.  But  if  I  have 
one  who  is  studious,  and  who  follows  instructions,  I  have  great  hope  of  him, 
and  nine  times  out  of  ten  he  is  sure  to  succeed. 

If  any  one  takes  up  a  new  line  of  business  he  is  sure  to  make  some  mis- 
takes and  to  have  some  unpleasant  experiences  and  unsatisfactory  results. 
So  it  is  with  bee-keeping,  even  when  we  have  followed  directions  or  in- 
structions as  closely  as  we  can. 

My  experimenting  with  bees  has  cost  me  enough  to  establish  an  apiary, 
the  returns  of  which  would  be  between  200  and  500  gallons  of  honey  a  year ; 
and,  besides,  I  came  near,  two  or  three  times  during  the  struggle,  giving  up 
the  idea  of  being  an  extensive  bee-keeper. 

Dear  beginner,  study  some  book  of  information  or  give  yourself  a  blank 
to  some  progressive  bee-keeper,  and  follow  instructions  closely,  and  let  some 
other  bee-keeper  do  the  experimenting,  and  you  benefit  thereby.  Buy  or  keep 
but  few  bees  at  first,  and  invest  no  more  capital  in  them  than  necessary,  and 
soon  you  will  attain  a  success  with  your  bees  that  will  put  to  shame  the 
old-style  box-hive  bee-keeper  who  has  kept  bees  all  his  days.  Elsewhere  in 
this  book  you  will  fine  the  needed  instructions  to  guide  you  on  to  success 
from  the  right  starting-point. 


l8  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 


BUYING  BEES. 


Buying  up  bees  in  box  hives  and  gums,  and  transferring  them  into  modern 
hives,  is  a  common  practice  among  bee-keepers.  If  bargains  can  be  obtained, 
this  is  a  very  good  practice;  otherwise  it  is  poor  practice.  Often  box  hives  are 
heavy  with  honey,  and  contain  a  good-sized  swarm  of  bees.;  and  if  they 
can  be  bought  for  $i.oo  or  $1.50  it  may  pay  to  buy  them,  and  transfer  them, 
feeding  back  the  honey  to  the  bees  (it  is  usually  unfit  for  anything  else), 
and  let  them  build  a  set  of  combs  from  it,  and  be  in  good  condition  for. 
the  honey-flow.  The  wax  saved  will  pay  for  the  transferring,  and  the  colony 
may  cost  you  only  $3.50  or  $4.00.  But  generally  you  will  not  find  the  pro- 
lific varieties  of  bees  in  such  hives,  and  a  young  queen  will  cost  $1.00  or 
$1.25  for  it.  Considering  that  there  is  usually  some  loss  sustained  in  trans- 
ferring and  introducing  queens,  there  could  be  only  a  very  small  bargain, 
even  if  the  best  or  heaviest  hives  that  could  be  bought,  and  if  the  transferring 
were  not  done  by  some  experienced  bee-keeper  there  would  not  be  anything 
saved  by  buying  up  such  hives,  except,  perhaps,  transportation  on  colonies 
from  some  bee-keeper  who  may  have  them  to  sell. 

Box  hives  should  be  examined  well,  before  they  are  bought,  by  removing 
the  cover  and  turning  the  hives  down,  so  that  the  light  will  shine  through 
the  comb  from  the  bottom,  and  give  you  a  clear  view  of  the  contents  of  the 
hive.  If  the  hives  are  constructed  so  that  you  can  not  remove  the  bottom, 
part  the  comb  and  turn  the  hive  so  the  light  will  shine  between  it,  so  that  you 
can  make  close  inspection.  Now,  when  a  hive  is  thus  examined  set  your  price 
on  it  so  that,  when  all  hives  have  been  examined,  you  will  know  what  to  offer 
for  the  apiary.  The  material  used  in  the  construction  of  box  hives  sometimes 
is  very  heavy,  and  you  should  not  buy  them  by  weight. 

Sometimes  bargains  can  be  obtained  in  buying  bees  in  modern  hives 
from  bee-keepers  who  are  going  to  move  away,  or  are  not  so  situated  as  to 
keep  bees,  and  want  to  sell  them,  or  for  some  other  reason  wish  to  dispose 
of  their  bees.  There  are  always  people  in  the  market  for  bees,  and  such  bar- 
gains should  be  made  known  to  them,  or  taken  up  by  some  one  who  is  in- 
terested in  bees. 

Transportation  on  bees  is  high,  and  they  should  be  bought  as  near  home 
as  possible. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  "Should  I  buy  my  increase  or  make  it?" 
If  you  have  the  experience  and  time  it  might  pay  you  best  to  make  it;  but 
if  you  can  get  a  bargain  in  a  lot  of  bees  somewhere  near  you  it  would  pay 
you  best  to  buy  your  increase  if  it  is  in  good  condition.  In  making  your 
own  increase  you  have  the  variety  of  bees  you  want,  and  the  size  hive  and 
frames  you  desire,  which  can  not  always  be  had  in  buying  bees  for  bargains. 
Some  bee-keepers  buy  nuclei  (small  swarms  of  bees),  and  build  them  up  to 
full  colonies  and  make  their  increase  in  this  way. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  19 

But  how  should  the  beginner  buy  his  bees  ?  The  cheapest,  safest,  and  best 
way  is  to  buy  full  colonies  from  some  progressive  bee-keeper  who  may  have 
them  to  sell,  for  then  you  would  be  almost  sure  to  get  a  good  stock  of 
bees. 

Another  good  way  is  to  buy  a  few  heavy  old-style  gums  from  some  old- 
style  bee-keeper  near  you,  and  put  the  new  swarms  from  them  in  modern 
hives;  and,  as  soon  as  possible,  buy  some  young  prolific  queens  for  the  new 
swarms,  and  kill  the  old  queens  and  introduce  the  new  ones  to  the  colonies. 
Soon  the  old  box  hives  will  die  out,  and  you  will  have  a  modern  apiary,  and 
good  stock. 

Many  beginners  have  bought  two-frame  nuclei  for  foundation  stock,  and 
built  them  up  to  full  colonies.  This  is  a  good  way  for  beginners  to  buy  bees 
if  they  will  give  them  the  proper  attention;  for  they  will  gain  much  valuable 
information  while  building  the  small  swarms  up  to  full  colonies.  Before 
the  nuclei  are  ordered,  a  hive  for  each  one  should  be  set  up  in  readiness, 
and  full  sheets  of  foundation  put  in  the  frames  (starters  will  not  do  for 
this  purpose,  for  the  small  swarms  of  bees  must  have  as  much  help  as  possi- 
ble) ;  and  as  soon  as  the  nuclei  arrive  remove  them  from  the  case  they  were 
shipped  in,  and  set  them  in.  the  hives  next  to  one  side  and  set  the  division- 
board  next  to  them.  A  beginner  should  never  order  less  than  two-frame 
nuclei,  which  would  consist  of  two  frames  of  completed  comb  filled  with 
brood  in  all  stages  of  development,  and  honey,  and  contain  a  young  prolific 
queen  and  enough  bees  to  cover  the  two  frames  of  comb  well.  After  they 
have  been  in  the  hive  for  a  day  or  so,  separate  the  two  combs  and  insert  a 
frame  filled  with  foundation  in  between  them,  and  push  them  up  together 
with  the  division-board  behind  them,  and  put  the  feed  to  them  (see  "Feed- 
ing Bees").  The  bees  dislike  this  space  between  the  combs;  and  the  founda- 
tion being  a  great  inducement  to  start  them  to  comb-building,  and  plenty  of 
feed  for  them  to  eat  to  secrete  the  wax,  they  will  at  once  begin  to  draw  out 
the  cells  on  this  sheet  of  foundation,  and  in  a  few  days  it  will  be  a  beautiful 
white  comb  filled  with  the  feed,  young  bees,  and  eggs,  for  the  queen  will  begin 
to  lay  in  it  as  soon  as  the  bees  get  the  cells  built  out  far  enough  for  her  to 
deposit  eggs  in  them,  and  as  soon  as  this  comb  is  about  completed,  separate 
two  more  combs  and  insert  another  frame  containing  a  full  sheet  of  founda- 
tion between  them  and  continue  feeding.  As  soon  as  this  comb  is  about  com- 
pleted, insert  another  frame  of  foundation,  and  so  on  until  the  bees  have 
completed  for  themselves  a  set  of  combs. 

Now,  it  is  the  feed  that  is  enabling  them  to  accomplish  this  great  task, 
and  it  should  be  kept  up  until  all  the  comb  in  the  hive  is  completed;  and 
by  this  time  the  bees  will  be  built  up  to  a  booming  colony,  and  be  in  the 
best  possible  condition  for  the  approaching  honey-flow.  If  there  is  a  honey- 
flow  on,  the  bees  are  not  likely  to  remove  the  feed,  because  they  are  getting 
better  feed  from  the  field,  and  they  will  build  the  comb  as  if  they  were  fed. 
But  it  is  best  to  order  the  bees  and  build  them  up  to  a  strong  colony  before 
the  honey-flow  so  as  to  secure  a  crop  of  honey,  if  possible.  If  the  weather 
is  cold  when  the  nuclei  arrive,  or  during  the  time  they  are  building  up,  they 


20  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

should  be  protected  from  the  cold  as  much  as  possible  by  contracting  the 
entrances  so  that  only  two  or  three  bees  can  pass  at  a  time;  also  a  sack 
folded  up  and  placed  over  the  tops  of  the  frames,  and  folded  down  over 
the  division-boards,  as  the  sides  will  greatly  protect  them  from  the  cold ;  and 
as  they  require  a  high  temperature  to  secrete  wax  and  build  comb  this  will 
help  them  to  keep  it  up.  .During  this  time  the  beginner  should  learn  much 
about  his  new  line  of  business. 


TRANSFERRING  BEES. 

This  is  an  important  subject  in  bee-keeping  in  the  South.  It  is  one 
about  which  many  questions  have  been  asked  and  answered.  Many  good 
populous  colonies  have  been  destroyed  by  the  operation,  and  at  this  point 
many  have  turned  back  to  old-style  ways  of  keeping  bees,  and  here  many  have 
become  disgusted  and  abandoned  bee-keeping  entirely.  It  is  a  job  that 
almost  all  bee-keepers  dread.  Some  will  not  undertake  it  at  all  for  fear  of 
a  failure.  Others  do  not  want  to  come  into  such  close  contact  with  the 
bees.  It  is  a  subject  upon  which  I  have  meditated  much,  and  first  and  last 
have  had  extensive  experience,  having  transferred  some  of  my  bees  three 
times  from  different  hives.  Besides,  I  have  transferred  many  apiaries  for 
others.  I  have  put  into  force  every  plan  I  have  ever  heard  or  read  of,  and 
the  one  I  find  best,  simplest,  and  easiest  I  will  give. 

In  early  spring,  when  the  poplars  begin  to  bloom,  or  the  first  honey- 
plants  begin  to  blodm  and  yield  honey  in  your  locality  (I  mention  poplar 
trees  as  they  are  the  most  common  honey-plant  in  the  South),  then  is  the  best 
time  to  transfer  bees,  because  some  honey  is  coming  in  and  they  are  riot  so 
easily  discouraged.  Remember  a  great  change  has  taken  place  when  they 
are  transferred.  Things  don't  look  natural  in  their  new  hive,  as  they  did  in 
the  old  one,  either  on  the  inside  or  outside.  There  has  been  a  great  change 
in  the  household  affairs,  and  their  instinct  does  not  make  provision  for  such  an 
unexpected  and  unnatural  change.  But  if  there  is  honey  coming  in  they 
will  likely  go  right  to  work  with  renewed  energy  if  they  have  been  trans- 
ferred.   So  the  time  to  transfer  has  much  to  do  with  it. 

Another  good  time  to  transfer  is  in  the  summer  when  cotton  begins  to 
bloom. 

The  method  of  work  is  as  follows :  One  day  before  transferring,  rob 
the  bees  closely  so  as  to  have  but  very  little  if  any  honey  to  contend  with; 
but  don't  rob  any  more  colonies  than  you  think  you  can  transfer  the  follow- 
ing day.  By  next  morning  they  will  have  all  the  scattered  or  broken  honey 
cleaned  up,  and  the  bees  will  be  in  the  best  possible  condition  to  transfer. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  21 

Then  with  the  proper  number  of  hives  in  readiness,  each  containing  five 
frames,  fill  with  full  sheets  of  foundation  the  remaining  three,  empty,  to 
receive  the  transferred  comb.  An  ax,  long-bladed  knife,  a  ball  of  cotton 
wrapping-twine,  a  burlap  sack  folded  and  laid  on  a  box  or  small  table  two 
or  three  feet  square,  must  be  in  the  apiary  in  readiness.  Also  a  pail  of  water* 
and  towel.  Put  the  veil  on  well.  Cord  your  pants  legs  and  sleeves,  then 
with  the  smoke  in  good  trim  tilt  a  hive  over  a  little ;  send  up  through  the 
comb  a  few  whifTs  of  smoke,  then  remove  the  hive,  setting  it  on  the  ground 
a  few  feet  away;  then  remove  the  stand  and  set  the  new  hive  on  the  ground 
where  the  stand  was  with  the  three  empty  frames  and  division-board  and 
cover  removed.  Now  turn  to  the  old  hiye,  and  again  smoke  the  bees  well  from 
the  bottom ;  ease  off  the  cover  from  the  old  hive  (which  should  not  be  nailed), 
and  dump  the  bees  on  it  into  the  new  hive  wheie  the  frames  were  removed, 
and  put  the  cover  on  it ;  then  take  hold  of  the  old  hive  by  the  top  and  bottom, 
and  reverse  ends  with  it,  jarring  one  of  the  top  corners  against  the  ground 
just  in  front  of  the  new  hive,  thus  dislodging  the  most  of  the  bees,  and  they 
will  at  once  go  into  the  new  hive  where   the  others   are. 

If  there  is  yet  a  good  number  of  bees  in  the  old  hive,  repeat  the  smok- 
ing and  jarring  until  there  are  only  a  few  if  any  bees  left.  Then  take  the 
old  hive  away  a  few  steps,  lay  it  down  on  its  side  so  that  the  comb  will 
extend  upward,  and  split  it  open  with  the  ax ;  then  spread  it  out  each  way 
on  the  ground.  Now  you  have  access  to  all  the  comb,  and  remove  the 
straightest  pieces  of  comb  containing  brood  and  may  be  a  little  honey,  and 
lay  them  on  the  folded  sack ;  then  lay  one  of  the  'empty  frames  over  the 
best  portion  of  the  comb,  and  cut  down  around  on  the  inside  of  it  with  the 
knife;  then  press  it  into  the  frame  well  and  give  it  a  few  raps  from  the 
bottom-bar  to  the  top-bar,  with  each  end  of  the  cord  fastened,  ^et  this  frame 
to  one  side,  and  proceed  in  like  manner  to  fill  the  two  remaining  empty 
frames,  using  only  the  best  comb;  then  if  you  should  like  any,  you  will 
have  some  comb  over  from  some  other  hive,  and  you  can  finish  filling  the 
frame  and  put  it  in  its  place;  but  as  soon  as  you  get  the  other  two  frames 
filled,  put  them  in  the  hive  and  keep  the  cover  on.  Now  wash  your  hands 
and  dry  them,  and  proceed  thus  from  hive  to  hive  until  you  have  trans- 
ferred the  apiaries.  Kill  as  few  bees  as  you  can,  for  they  are  very  valuable 
at  this  critical  time.  I  have  found  it  best  to  begin  on  the  strong  colonies 
first,  and  transfer  the  weaker  ones  last.  Be  sure,  when  you  give  the  frames 
of  transferred  comb  back  to  the  bees,  that  they  do  not  touch,  and  that  the 
bees  may  have  access  to  all  the  comb  surface,  for  they  dislike  very  much  to 
have  their  comb  pushed  together  so  they  can  not  pass  over  it;  and  often 
transferred  comb  will  bulge  and  do  this ;  and  it  is  best  to  leave  the  division- 
board  out  until  you  examine  them  again  in  two  or  thre^  days;  then  you 
can  better  straighten  the  comb  in  the  frames,  for  the  bees,  by  this  time, 
will  have  them  well  attached  to  the  frame.  Also  at  this  time  you  can  insert 
two  frames  of  foundation  ibetween  these  frames  of  transferred  comb,  and  the 
bees  will  at  once  draw  out  the  foundation,  and  the. queens  will,  occupy  them. 


SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 


Xo.  I  —  Hive  arranged  for  Comb  Honey 


Xo.  J  — Hive  arranged  for  Clumk  Honey 


No.  3—  Hive  arranged  for  Extracted  Honev 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  33 

The  whole  operation  for  each  colony  is  very  short,  simple,  and  easy,  and 
not  much  unpleasant  work  is  involved.  If  there  is  any  honey  left  in  scat- 
tered comb  around  the  apiary,  let  the  bees  eat  it  out  as  you  go,  and  they  will 
give  no  trouble  by  robbing.  Of  course,  contract  the  entrances  of  the  weak 
colonies  after  they  are  transferred.  I  have  transferred  147  colonies  in  one 
apiary  thus,  with  good  results.  I  have  given  the  method  to  other  bee-keepers 
and  farmer  bee-keepers,  and  they  claim  it  a  "success,  and  have  adopted  it. 


MODERN  BEE-HIVES. 

Modern  or  patent  hives,  as  they  are  better  known,  are  the  only  hives 
bees  can  be  kept  in  successfully,  for  they  are  induced  to  build  their  comb 
straight  in  movable  frames  in  them,  thus  giving  the  bee-keeper  access  to  all 
comb,  which  can  be  easily  removed,  and  the  needs  of  the  bees  detected  and 
supplied.  The  old-style  box  hives  have  been  sufficiently  tried  in  all  sec- 
tions of  the  South,  and  they  are  a  part  of  the  cause  of  bee-keeping  being 
where  it  is  here  now;  and  prejudice  against  the  modern  bee-hives  has  also 
been  a  part  of  the  cause.  The  needs  of  the  bees  are  always  located  some- 
where in  their  comb,  and  the  old-style  hives  debar  the  bee-keeper  from  sup- 
plying them. 

People  have  been  eager  to  reach  after  modem  improvements  along  their 
lines  of  business;  but  modern  hives  have  not  been  bought  for  their  apiaries, 
and  bee-keeping  has  not  had  what  was  due  it  in  the  way  of  improvements. 
Modern  hives  are  the  foundation  upon  which  bee  culture  is  built;  and  how 
can  it  stand  or  make  progress  without  adopting  them?  Our  forefathers  in 
bee  culture  invented  them  and  handed  them  down  to  us  at  a  reasonable  price ; 
and  all  along  improvements  have  been  added  until  it  seems  perfection  has 
been  reached,  and  that  they  are  as  convenient  for  the  bees  as  they  are  for 
the  apiarist. 


THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF  MODERN  HIVES. 

There  are  several  styles  of  "modern  hives  in  use,  but  I  will  give  only 
three,  which  are  most  commonly  in  use  for  comb,  chunk,  and  extracted  honey 
here  in  the    South. 

Modern  hives  are  complicated,  -constructed  or  made  up  of  many  pieces, 
which  can  not  be  avoided;  and  if  they  are  not  properly  put  together,  their 
good  qualities  are  spoiled.  Many  of  them  have  been  thus  put  together  here, 
and  the  result  is  there  are  many  dissatisfied  purchasers,  because  the  hives 
are  not  what  they  expected  them  to  be  in  construction,  and  they  failed  to 


w^^^^^^ 


^#^^M 


Oil 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  25 

get  them  properly  put  together.  As  stated  elsewhere,  the  hives  are  the 
foundation  of  bee  culture,  and  it  is  very  important  that  we  start  it  right 
from  the  hive,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  know  nothing  of  their  con- 
struction I  will  try  in  the  simplest  manner  possible  to  help  you  over  this 
obstacle  by  the  use  of  engravings  showing  each  part,  how  it  is  cut  out,  where 
it  should  go,  and  how  it  appears  after  it  has  been  properly  placed  and  nailed, 
and  set  in  the  hive. 

Carefully  open  the  packages  of  hives  and  lay  similar  pieces  together 
around  on  the  floor  or  bench,  and  proceed  as  follows:  Take  up  this  book; 
turn  to  this  page,  and  look  over  and  over  the.  cuts  or  pictures  showing  the 
different  pieces,  how  they  are  cut  out  and  where  they  go,  then  look  over 
your  piles  of  similar  pieces  and  see  if  they  are  not  similar  to  the  pictures  of 
those  in  the  book.  Continue  thus  until  you  have  located  every  piece  and 
learned  where  it  goes  in  the  hive.  Now  with  the  hive  clearly  laid  out  in 
your  mind,  don't  start  to.  nailing  until  you  have  read  and  reread  "The  Con- 
struction of  Modem  Hives,"  so  that  you  may  nail  them  right  and  they 
will  stay  thus. 

First,  nail  the  bottoms  together.  The  hive  manufacturers  usually  send 
out  two  styles  of  bottoms  with  the  standard  hives,  and  you  will  have  one 
of  the  styles. 

Next  put  the  hive-body  together,  nailing  it  well ;  then  nail  the  tin  rab- 
bets in  it,  using  four  nails  from  the  top  and  four  through  the  sides.  Also 
nail  the  little  molded  cleats  on  just  above  the  hand-holds  in  the  ends,  and  set 
it  on  a  bottom  and  then  start  to  nailing  the  brood-frames  together  by  first 
nailing  end-bars  to  the  top-bar  with  two  nails  at  each  end.  It  will  be  seen 
that  these  end-bars  have  a  V  edge,  and  in  nailing  them  to  the  top-bar  be 
sure  you  turn  the  V  edges  opposite,  or  one  on  the  right  side  of  the  top-bar 
and  one  on  the  left,  and  nail  all  the  end-bars  to  the  top-bars  just  as  you, 
did  this  one.  The  object  of  this  V  edge  is  to  keep  the  bees  from  gluing  the 
edges  so  tight  together,  and  thus  be  a  hindrance  in  handling  them;  and  if 
you  do  not  put  the  end-bars  on  all  top-bars,  and  the  V  edge  extending  in  the 
same  direction,  some  square  edges  will  come  together  and  thus  spoil  the 
good  feature.  Next  nail  the  bottom-bars  on  with  four  nails.  Now  drive 
the  little  staples,  which  you  will  find  with  nails,  into  the  end-bars  just  under 
the  extending  ends  of  the  top-bars,  using  the  little  gauge  which  you  will  also 
find  somewhere  among  the  hive  parts.  There  will  be  found  a  bundle  of 
wedges,  and  also  a  bundle  of  long,  narrow  strips  of  foundation,  and  on  the 
bottom  sid^  of  the  top-bars  will  be  seen  two  grooves.  Place  a  strip  of  foun- 
dation in  the  tenter  one,  and  press  a  wedge  in  the  other  one ;  then  driv6  it 
down  bekjw  the  surface  of  the  wood  or  it  may  work  out.  Set  the  frame  in 
the  hives  as  they  are  thus  completed.  Then  put  together  the  division-boards, 
nailing  them  well,  and  set  them  in  the  open  spaces  between  the  last  frame 
set  in  and  the  side  of  the  hive,  and  put  a  wedge  in  behind  it. 

Now  the  brood  apartment  is  finished,  and  we  are  ready  to  begin  on 
supers  or  top  stories.  We  will  first  construct  a  super  for  comb  honey  as 
on  hive  No.   i.     Carefully  put  together  the  bodies  of  the  super  and  it  will 


26  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

be  seen  that  the  ends  of  the  super  have  rabbets  in  them  similar  to  those 
in  the  ends  of  the  bottom  story.  This  is  the  top  of  the  super.  Turn  it 
over  ■  and  nail  the  section-holder  supports  on  which  are  narrow  strips  of 
tin.  Nail  these  on  well,  letting  them  project  over  on  the  inside  of  the 
super  not  less  than  ^  inch.  These  are  to  hold  all  the  fixtures  in^  the  supers. 
Next  put  the  section-holders  together,  using  four  nails  to  each  one,  and  be 
sure  that  the  ends  are  nailed  on  the  bottom  slats  not  less  than  17  inches 
between  them,  or  the  sections  will  not  fit  in-  them.  Now  set  these  in  the 
supers,  putting  a  separator  between  each  two.  The  separators  will  be  very 
thin  pieces  of  soft  wood  about  4^^  inches  wide,  slotted  on  one  edge,  and  this 
slotted  edge  turns  down.  Sometimes  the  factories  send  out  hives  with  slat 
separators  which  are  made  of  four  thin  narrow  slats'  supported  at  ends  by 
a  piece  of  tin,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  these  end  supporters  project  more  on 
one  edge  than  the  other.  This  longer  projecting  edge  goes  down.  Next  put 
the  followers  in  behind  the  last  section-holder,  which  is  a  board  about  J4 
inch  thick  and  as  long  as  the  hive  is  wide,  and  about  4^^  inches  wide. 

•The  supers  are  now  ready  for  the  sections,  which  are  thin  slotted  pieces 
of  Wood  with  three  V-shape  grooves  cut  across  them  about  the  same  distance 
apart.  Wet  the  sections,  at  the  grooves  by  pouring  water  through  them, 
holding  ten  or  fifteen  at  a  time  edgewise  over  a  pail  of  water,  or  dampen 
them  at  the  grooves  with  a  sponge  or  piece  of  cloth  dipped  in  water;  but 
be  sure  not  to  wet  the  sections  all  over  or  they  will  warp  and  twist. 

Now  with  the  section-former,  squeeze  or  press  (see  machines  for  this 
work  under  "Apiarian  Implements")  ;  put  the  sections  together,  or  this  can 
be  done  by  folding  them  carefully  together,  and  knocking  the  lock  corners 
together  with  a  mallet  or  hammer;  but  the  machines  are  better  for  this 
work. 

Now  with  the  foundation-fastener  (see  machines  for  this  work  under 
("Apiarian  Implements")  ;  put  the  starters  or  full  sheets  of  foundation  in  the 
sections,  and  be  sure  thaf  they  are  fastened  to  them  well  or  they  may  drop 
down  and  the  bees  disregard  them  or  build  a  crooked  comb  in  the  section. 
Set  the  sections  thus  filled  carefully  into  the  section-holder,  and  key  them  up 
by  putting  a  wedge  or  spring  behind  the  follower.  Now  put  the  tops  together, 
nailing  them  well,  and  the  hive  and  super  for  comb  honey  is  then  completed 
and  ready  for  the  bees. 

The  next  hive  for  consideration  is  No.  2  for  chunk  honey.  The  bottom 
story,  or  brood-apartment,  is  constructed  as  hive  No.  i  for  comb  honey; 
but  the  super  contains  shallow  frames  which  hang  in  the  wood  rabbets  (no 
tin  ones  to  be  used),  and  the  top-bars  of  which  are  thin,  with  a  small  shal- 
low groove  in  them,  which  are  to  be  turned  down.  Nail  the  frames  up  as 
you  would  the  brood-frames  in  the  bottom  story.  You  will  find  smaller 
staples,  to  be  driven  in  the  ends  to  space  the  frames,  than  those  used  in  the 
brood-frames;  and  when  these  have  been  driven  in  the  proper  depth  (using 
the  same  gauge  on  the  brood-frames),  the  frames  will  be  ready  for  starters 
or  full  sheets  of  foundation;  now  take  a  light  board  the  size  of  the  frame 
on  the  outside,  and  tack  on  this  a  thin  board  the   same  size  as  the  frame 


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SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  29 

is  on  the  inside,  and  just  as  thick  as  the  top-bar  is  wide  from  the  groove  out. 
When  the  frame  is  placed  over  this  board  it  will  serve  as  a  gauge  to  hold  the 
foundation  in  place  in  the  groove  while  it  is  being  attached.  A  small  vessel 
of  melted  beeswax  should  next  be  prepared  and  kept  warm  over  a  lamp. 
Now  lay  a  frame  on  the  prepared  board .  and  place  the  foundation  in  the 
groove  and  lift  all  up  carefully  and  hold  in  the  left  hand ;  then  dip  out  the 
melted  wax  in  a  spoon,  or  a  Van  Deusen  wax-tube  is  much  better  (see  under 
"Apiarian  Implements")  with  the  right  hand,  and  pour  a  little  into  the  groove 
at  the  top,  holding  the  frame  so  it  will  be  on  the  decline,  so  that  the  melted 
wax  will  run  fast  down  the  groove  and  thus  attach  the  foundation  at  the 
top-bars.  As  the  frames  are  filled,  set  them  in  the  supers  and  put  the  fol- 
lowers in  behind  the  last  frames  put  in,  and  then  wedge  them  close  together. 
N?il  the  tops  together  as  previously  described,  and  the  hives  for  chunk 
are  completed. 

Hive  No.  3,  for  extracted  honey,  is  constructed  the  same  as  the  bottom 
stories  or  brood-apartments  in  hives  No.  i  and  No.  2,  for  comb  and  chunk 
honey,  except  that  the  frames  are  filled  differently.  Set  up  the  hives  com- 
plete as  previously  explained,  but  do  not  put  the  foundation  in  the  frames. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  end-bars  have  four  small  holes  drilled  through  them, 
which  are  to  receive  the  wire.  Now  fasten  a  frame  down  on  a  convenient 
place  on  the  bench  so  it  can  be  easily  and  quickly  fastened  and  unfastened. 
Also  about  six  or  eight  inches  from  one  end  of  the  frame  fasten  the  spool 
of  wire  by  driving  a  large  nail  through  the  hole  in  the  spool  into  the  bench 
enough  to  hold  it  while  the  wire  is  being  removed. 

Now  drive  a  small  nail  into  the  bench  between  the  spool  of  wire  and 
end-bar  about  half  way  down,  and  bend  it  over  so  that,  when  the  wire  is 
cut,  the  end  can  be  brought  under  the  nail  and  hold  it,  and  keep  it  from 
getting  tangled.  Drive  a  very  small  tack  about  half  way  up,  near  the  top 
and  bottom  holes  in  the  end-bar  nearest  to  the  spool  of  wire;  and  when  the 
wire  has  been  run  through  all  the  holes,  beginning  at  the  top,  wrap  it  a  few 
times  around  the  tack  near  the  bottom  hole,  and  drive  the  tack  down;  then 
draw  the  wire  until  all  the  slack  is  out,  and  give  it  a  few  wraps  around  the 
other  nail,  and  drive  the  tack  up ;  then  cut  the  wire  near  it,  and  bring  the  end 
under  the  bent-down  nail,  and  the  frame  is  wired,  which  can  be  removed  and 
another  wired  in  like  manner.  Then  when  all  the  frames  have  been  thus 
wired  the  foundation  can  be  put  in,  which  can  best  be  done  by  nailing  a 
short  plank  down  on  the  bench  on  the  edge  so  that  the  top  edge  will  take 
two  or  three  inches,  being  perpendicular,  so  that,  when  the  frame  lies  on  its 
top-bar  beside  this  plank  the  bottom-bar  can  rest  over  on  it,  then  a  beveled- 
edge  strip  can  be  put  under  the  bottom-bar,  which  will  give  it  a  solid  foun- 
dation and  hold  it  in  place.  This  inclined  position  of  the  frame  will  keep 
the  foundation  in  its  groove  and  out  of  the  way  while  the  wedge  is  being 
driven  in  beside  it;  and  when  this  is  done  carefully,  remove  the  frame  and 
lay  it  on  a  board  cut  just  the  same  size  as  the  inside  of  the  frame,  so  that 
it  will  go  down  over  it  with  the  strands  of  wire  and  the  foundation  next  to 
the  board.    Then  carefully  run  the  wire-imbedder  (see  under  "^iarian  Im- 


30  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

plements")  over  the  wire  pressing  down  just  enough  to  imbed  them  well  into 
the  foundation;  but  be  sure,  before  this  is  done,  that  the  wires  rest  tightly 
across  the  foundation,  which  can  be  done  by  pressing  the  frame  down  over  the 
fitting  piece  under  the  foundation.  As  the  frames  are  finished,  set  them  in 
the  hives  and  wedge  the  division-boards  up  against  them,  and  they  are  ready 
for  the  bees. 

As  previously  stated,  there  are  other  styles  of  modern  hives  and  supers, 
and  some  of  them  are  used  in  the  South ;  but  I  have  given  the  construction 
of  the  three  most  commonly  in  use  here.  Some  of  our  Southern  bee-keepers 
use  what  is  called  a  ten-frame  hive,  which  is  constructed  the  same  as  I  have 
described,  only  they  are  just  a  little  wider.  There  is  no  doubt  that  these  ten- 
frame  hives  are  the  best  for  extracted  honey  in  locations  where  they  some- 
times have  overwhelming  crops  of  honey;  but  generally  the  eight- frame  hive 
will  answer  all  purposes.  There  are  also  many  bee-keepers  who  use  shallow 
frames  and  shallow  supers  for  extracted  honey.  The  hive  I  have  described 
for  chunk  honey  can  also  be  operated  for  extracted  honey  and  the  frames 
wired  if  desired. 

The  close  observer,  as  he  puts  his  hives  together,  will  notice  a  small 
space  all  around  and  through  the  fixtures  of  the  hive.  This  space  is  called 
a  "bee-space,"  allowing  them  a  passage  all  through  and  around  in  the  hive, 
making  the  hive  as  convenient  and  suitable  for  them  as  possible;  and  notice, 
too,  how  quickly  and  easily  all  the  fixtures  can  be  removed  from  the  hive 
and  set  back,  giving  the  bee-keeper  a  "quick  and  easy  access  to  the  bees  and 
all  parts  of  the  hive. 

The  writer  will  never  forget  the  first  modern  hive  he  constructed,  and 
the  length  of  time  he  was  at  it;  but  he  soon  learned  the  "kinks,"  and  hive- 
construction  has  always  been  a  pleasure  to  him. 


SUBDUING  BEES. 

Bees  are  irascible  insects ;  but  they  can  be  so  completely  conquered  or 
subdued  with  smoke  that  they  vnU  not  offer  resistance,  even  to  an  intruder 
upon  them  removing  their  young  or  their  only  source  of  living  (honey) 
With  proper  precautions  and  protection  (using  vests  and  gloves),  and  a  good 
smoker,  any  one  can  be  safe  and  feel  comfortable  among  bees.  But  he  must 
let  them  know  on  approaching  them  that  he  is  to  be  master  of  the  situation. 
Never  go  out  into  the  apiary  to  molest  the  bees  without  having  the  smoker 
full  of  good  fuel  and  well  burning. 

On  approaching  a  colony  of  bees  to  do  certain  work  in  it,  send  in  a  few 
whiffs  of  smoke  at  the  entrance ;  then  with  the  hive-tool  pry  the  cover  loose 
and  send  in  smoke  along  the  crack  a  few  moments  before  you  raise  it  high 
enough  to  let  the  bees  escape;  for  if  you  let  any  out  at  the  opening  of  the 
hive  they  will   be  sure   to  -g^ive  you   trouble.     As   soon   as   they   have   been 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE  31 

smoked  a  few  moments  remove  the  cover  and  send  a  few  whiffs  of  smoke 
over  the  frames  so  some  of  it  will  reach  the  bees  along  on  the  top  of  the 
comb;  but  don't  send  strong  whiffs  down  between  the  frames,  for  this  will 
be  too  much  smoke,  and  will  cause  them  to  become  confused.  Now  begin 
frame  manipulation,  inspection,  or  whatever  there  is  to  be  done;  but  keep 
the  bees  subdued,  whenever  they  show  signs  of  resistance,  by  mounting  the 
top-bars  from  below  and  giving  you  a  straight  look.  Another  whiff  of  smoke 
will  send  them  back  down,  head  foremost.  Repeat  the  dose  as  long  as  these 
mounters  appear  while  handling  their  comb.  Usually  bees  will  offer  resistance 
but  a  minute  or  so  after  they  have  been  disturbed,  for  they  will  hustle  about 
over  the  comb  until  they  find  uncapped  cells  of  honey,  and  then  they  will 
gorge  themselves  on  honey,  and  lose  all  inclination  to  fight  or  resist  their 
intruder. 

The  art  of  subduing  bees  is  soon  learned  after  a  few  painful  stings  have 
been   endured. 

"Smoke  should  not  be  used  in  hiving  swarms  or  in  handling  bees  after 
they  have  settled,  any  more  than  possible,  for  they  don't  need  subduing,  but 
rather,  gentle  treatment. 


FRAME  MANIPULATION. 

Handling  frames  of  comb,  honey,  and  bees  intelligently  is  where  the  wheel 
of  fortune  begins  to  turn  in  bee-keeping.  Bees  are  subject  to  failure  at  any 
time ;  but  by  handling  their  comb  from  time  to  time,  inspecting  the  condi- 
tion of  each  colony,  these  failures,  either  on  their  part  or  the  part  of  their 
keeper,  or  Providence,  which  seems  not  to  make  a  provision  for  man's  part, 
can  be  easily  detected  and  supplied  before  the  colony  fails  or  soon  after  it 
has  started  to.  The  needs  or  failures  of  a  colony  of  bees  will  be  fully  ex- 
plained elsewhere  in  this  book,  which  can  be  and  should  be  supplied  from  an 
outside  source,  or  have  the  bees  help  each  other  by  making  the  "strong  bear 
the  infirmities  of  the  weak"  by  changing  and  interchanging  frames  of  comb, 
honey,  and  brood  from  one  hive  to  another,  equalizing  them. 

There  is  no  supposition  in  bee-keeping.  If  the  frames  are  manipulated 
we  know  what  to  depend  on,  for  the  condition  of  our  bees  is  clear  to  us, 
and  we  know  that  we  can  have  them  in  good  condition  or  in  shape  to  gather 
honey  previous  to  each  honey-flow,  and  that  we  shall  save  as  large  an 
amount  as  possible  with  our  force  of  bees  if  the  weather  condition  is  in  our 
favor. 

Then,  too,  frame  manipulation  is  interesting— so  much  so  that  it  never 
gets  to  be  monotonous.  Elach  hive  of  frames  handled  offers  new  ideas  in 
bee  culture  for  our  consideration ;  and  the  art  of  handling  them  is  soon 
learned  by  any  one  who  will  apply  himself. 


How  to  Remove  Hoffman  Frames. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  33 

If  it  is  desired  to  make  an  inspecting-tour  over  the  apiary,  one  or  two 
of  the  center  frames  are  all  that  is  necessary  to  be  removed  to  reveal  the 
condition  of  the  colony.    This  can  be  done  by  lifting  out  the'-division-board, 
or  one  frame  on   the  outside,  and  then  prying  the  others   away   from  the 
frame  we  wish  to  inspect,  and  lift  it  out;  and  the  inspection  of  this  frame 
should  show  the  colony  to  be  in  good  condition  (plenty  of  eggs  and  food  in 
all  stages  of  development  in  it,  as  other  colonies  have,  although  sometimes 
bees  don't  carry  much  brood;  and  if  this  be  the  case  none  of  them  will  be 
carrying  much),  but  if  the  inspection  of  this  frame  is  not  satisfactory,  lift 
out  the  next  one;  and  if  that  i§,  set  it  back  in' the  hive  carefully,  and  set  the 
outside  frame  or  division-board  back  in  the  hive,  and  wedge  thfe  frames  up 
and  put  on  the  cover;  but  if  the  inspection  shows  the  colony  not  to  be  in 
good  condition,  lay  something  on   the  cover.  '  When   all  the  colonies  have 
been  thus  examined,  then  turn  back  and  supply  the  needs  of  those  that  are 
not  in  a  thriving  condition.    If  they  need  stores,  give  them  a  frame  of  honey 
from  some  colony  which  may  have  it  to  spare,  or  feed  them  (see  "Feeding"). 
If  there  are  no  eggs  or  brood  in  the  hive  when  there  should  be,  give  them 
a  frame  of  brood,  for  they  may  have  lost  their  queen,  or  there  may  be  a 
young  queen  in  the  hive  which  has  not  begun  to  lay  yet.     Inspect  the  frame 
of  brood  next  day;  and  if  they  have  started  queen-cells,  give  them  another 
queen  as  soon  as  possible,  or  a  ripe  queen-cell,  or  you  can  put  them  to  rais- 
ing them  another  queen    (see   'Queen-rearing").     If   the  bees  do   not  start 
queen-cells,  there  is  a  young  queen  in  the  hive  which  should  begin  to  lay  in 
a  few  days ;  but  examine  the  hive  often  as  possible,  and  see  that  they  do  have 
a  queen. 

Then,  again,  if  the  colony  should  have  plenty  of  stores  (remember,  a 
good  queen  without  plenty  of  stores  can  not  keep  up  her  colony),  but  be 
behind  the  average  in  eggs  and  brood,  then  the  queen  is  old  or  failing,  and 
another  one  should  be  given  the  colony,  also  one  or  two  frames  of  sealed 
brood,  if  the  colony  has  run  down  any.  Strong  colonies  should  never 
dwindle  down  if  they  are  kept  supplied  with  stores  and  young  prolific  queens ; 
but  should  any  colonies  run  down  in  bees  they  should  be  given  frames  of 
sealed  brood  from  strong  colonies  from  time  to  time. 

The  observant  bee-keeper  can  soon  learn  the  needs  of  his  bees,  and  how 
to  supply  them  by  handling  or  manipulating  the  frames  containing  the  comb 
of  his  bees,  changing  and  interchanging  them  from  hive  to  hive  from  time 
to  time  over  his  apiary. 


APIARY  WORK. 

To  give  a  modern  apiary  the  necessary  attention  to  prolong  the  existence 
of  all  colonies,  and  to  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  surplus  honey  possible, 
requires  more  time  and  work  during  the  year  than  the  average  bee-keeper 
may  suspect;  but  the  bulk  of  the  work  comes  at  intervals  just  before  and  dur- 


34  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

tng  the  honey-flow,  and  at  the  close  of  them.  Work  to  get  the  bees  in  readi- 
ness for  the  honey-flow.  Work  to  give  them  the  proper  room  to  store  honey 
during  the  flow,  and  work  to  remove  and  market  it  at  the  close  of  the  flow. 
Of  course,  the  amount  of  work  is  governed  by  the  size  of  the  apiary  and  the 
extent  of  the  honey-flow. 

There  are  three  essential  things  to  know  in  successfiil  apiary  work,  and 
they  are:   i.     To  know  what  to  do. 

2.  When  to  do  it. 

3.  How  to  go  about  it  to  accomplish  it  best.  First,  let  us  consider  our 
duty  to  our  bees,  if  we  owe  one,  and  we  surely  do  for  they  are  very  useful 
and  necessary  insects  in  the  vegetable  or  plant  kingdom  upon  which  we  so 
depend.  Then,  too,  their  products  are  very  valuable  and  necessary.  Our 
appetite  calls  for  honey,  and  our  frail  bodies  need  it  to  nourish  them ;  and  the 
mission  of  the  honey-bee  and  its  field  of  work,  and  the  usefulness  of  its 
products,  show  conclusively  that  it  was  not  sent  among  us  as  a  pest  to  be 
brimstoned,  or  its  culture  ignored.  Notwithstanding,  thousands  of  colonies 
have  been  killed  in  various  ways,  as  all  they  had  to  subsist  on  was  taken 
away  from  them,  which  soon  resulted  in  their  death.  Yet  a  few  are  left 
awaiting  cultivation  and  to  do  this  we  must  read,  study,  think,  and  apply 
ourselves' to  apiary  work,  so  that  we  may  know  the  needs  of  our  bees. 

Second,  while  we  are  applying  ourselves  to  know  apiary  work  we  must 
not  forget  there  is  a  time  to  do  all  things ;  and  to  do  it  properly  it  must  be 
done  at  the  right  time  or  loss  will  be  the  result.  It  is  necessary  that  we 
walk  about  the  woods  and  know  about  when  to  expect  the  honey-plants,  that 
yield  a  surplus  of  honey,  to  bloom. 

The  time  to  do  apiary  work  in  the  South  varies  considerably;  and  the 
time  to  prepare  bees  for  the  honey-flow  varies  greatly  in  different  sections 
and  locations;  and  even  the  honey-plants  are  by  no  means  the  same  every- 
where. Different  plants  here  and  there  yield  honey  at  different  times  of 
the  year  all  over  the  South,  so  there  is  much  for  every  bee-keeper  to  solve 
in  his  own  immediate  location,  especially  as  to  the  time  of  apiary  work. 

Third,  next  is  applying  the  work  properly.  With  the  needs  of  the  bees 
clear  in  mind,  and  the  time  of  supplying  them  known,  the  apiary  work  ought 
to  glide  along  smoothly,  and  the  bees  make  great  progress  under  the  guiding^ 
hand  of  their  keeper;  but  the  work  should  be  done  considerately,  watching 
the  bees  closely  that  the  work  may  bring  progress  to  them. 

With  these  ideas  in  mind,  what  to  do,  when  to  do,  and  how  to  do  apiary 
work,  and  with  a  feeling  that,  if  we  keep  bees,  it  is  our  duty  to  give  them 
a  small  portion  of  our  time  at  least,  let  us  take  up  apiary  work  for  one  year 
in  as  simple  and  condensed  a  form  as  possible. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  JANUARY. 

This  is  usually  our  coldest  month,  and  about  all  that  can  be  done  is  to 
paint  the  hives  if  the  weather  is  dry  and  not  too  cold  to  work.  Also  honey- 
houses  might  be  erected  and  supplies  ordered  for  the  season,  and  some  of 
them  set  up  during  "the  latter  part  of  the  month,  if  they  arrive  in  time. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  35 

APIARY  WORK  IN  FEBRUARY. 
The  remainder  of  the  supplies  should  be  set  up  and  in  readiness  during 
the  first  part  of  the  month.  If  bees  are  to  be  moved  it  should  be  done  during 
this  month.  If  the  weather  warms  up  during  the  latter  part  of  the  month, 
all  colonies  should  be  carefully  gone  through,  and  their  condition  noted  dur- 
ing the  warmer  parts  of  the  days  when  bees  are  flying  briskly.  By  this  time 
the  rearliest  pollen-plants  are  in  full  bloom,  and  breeding  is  going  on  at  a 
rapid  rate  if  the  weather  permits;  and  if  the  first  honey-plant  will  begin  to 
bloom  in  about  six  weeks  it  should  be  under  headway.  If  pollen  is  coming 
in  rapidly,  and  no  honey,  and  there  are  any  colonies  not  spreading  their  brood 
as  rapidly  as  they  should,  feed  them  a  little. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  MARCH. 

There  should  be  a  good  many  warm  days  in  this  month,  during  which  all 
colonies  should  be  looked  through  carefully  again,  and  their  condition  noted ; 
and  if  any  of  them  are  running  short  of  stores,  feed  them ;  and  if  any  arc 
behind  in  brood-rearing,  insert  an  empty  clean  comb  in  the  middle  of  the 
brood-nesf ;  if  it  has  a  rim  of  honey  along  the  top-bars  and  end-bars  it  will 
not  hurt;  and  when  they  are  given  the  frame,  still  continue  to  feed  them 
slowly.  In  three  days  look  over  the  colony  again ;  and  if  the  inserted  frame  is 
full  of  eggs,  lift  it  out  and  set  it  on  the  outside  of  the  last  frame  which  has 
brood  in  it ;  then  insert  another  frame,  and  in  three  days  remove  it  and 
set  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  hive  beyond  the  last  frame  of  brood  on  that 
side:  then  insert  another  frame  of  empty  comb,  and  keep  up  feeding.  By 
the  latter  part  of  this  month  all  colonies  should  be  .«>trong  in  bees,  and  rear- 
ing a  lot  of  brood. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  APRIL. 
During  this  month  honey-plants  will  be  blooming  in  almost  all  sections 
of  the  South,  and  all  hives  should  be  boiling  over  with  bees,  and  the  brood- 
apartment  full  of  young  bees  in  all  stages  of  development ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  honey -plants  begin  to  bloom,  put  the  supers  or  top  stories  on;  then  don't 
molest  the  bees  any  more  than  you  can  help  while  they  are  storing  honey ;  for 
it  will  detain  them  in  their  work ;  and  don't  let  them  fill  the  supers  and  need 
store-room ;  but  don't  give  them  too  much  room  to  heat  up. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  MAY. 
In  many  locations  in  the  South,  the  honey-flow  will  extend  on  through 
this  month.  By  the  first  of  this  month  we  usually  have  settled  warm  weather, 
and  great  progress  should  be  made  by 'the  bees.  Well-filled  and  capped-over 
frames  of  honey  can  be  extracted,  and  finished  supers  of  honey  can  be 
removed. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  JUNE. 
By  the  first  of  this  month  the  honey-flow  is  off  in  most  locations,  and  all 
surplus  honey  should  be  removed  and  put  on  the  market.    In  locations  where 


36  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

there  is  not  another  honey-flow  during  summer  or  fall,  requeening  should  be 
done  as  soon  as  possible  at  the  close  of  the  flow. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  JULY. 
During  the  latter  part  of  June  and  the  first  of  this  month  there  is  a 
honey-dearth  in  most  locations  in  the  South,  and  there  is  not  much  apiary 
to  do;  but  in  sections  where  the  flow  begins  during  this  month,  every  thing 
should  be  in  readiness  for  it;  but  it  is  not  so  much  trouble  to  get  the  bees 
in  proper  shape  for  it,  as  the  weather  is  warm  and  no  setbacks  from. cold 
snaps  such  as  we  have  in  early  spring.  All  colonies  with  young  prolific 
queens  and  plenty  of  stores  should  be  strong,  and  ready  for  honey-saving. 
The  "weaklings"  can  be  easily  bought  up  as  we  bring  them  up  in  spring. 
During  the  latter  part  of  this  month  the  flow  from  cotton  will  start;  and  in 
all  cotton  locations,  bees  and  the  proper  storing  room  should  be  ready  for, it. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  AUGUST. 

Summer  and  fall  honey-flows  are  not  in  "jerks,"  as  are  spring  flows, 
but  slow  and  long  in  duration  in  most  sections,  and  not  so  much  swarming 
to  look  after  and  rushing  apiary  work  to  do;  and  we  can  and  should  give 
our  bees  better  attention  during  this  month.  If  there  is  a  lot  of  honey 
capped  in  the  hives,  don't  be  in  any  rush  to  extract  it,  for  usually  our  sum- 
mer and  fall  honey  is  inferior  to  the  honey  secreted  in  spring;  and  the 
longer  it  is  left  with  the  bees  the  better  it  is.  Comb  honey  should  be  removed 
as  soon  as  it  is  well  capped,  for  at  this  season  it  will  get  travel-stained  faster 
than  it  will  in  spring. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  SEPTEMBER. 
In  most  locations  the  honey-flow  will  slack  up  during  this  month,  and  it 
is  the  best  time  during  the  season  to  requeen  and  make  increase  (see  "In- 
crease and  Requeening").  The  weather  is  still  warm,  and  some  honey  and 
pollen  are  coming  in.  The  apiarist  has  more  leisure  time ;  also,  at  this  time 
there  is  always  a  large  number  of  drones  in  the  apiary ;  and,  in  fact,  it  is  the 
best  all-around  time  to  requeen  and  make  increase,  and  it  should  be  done 
by  all  means.  During  the  latter  part  of  this  month  honey  can  be  removed 
when  the  flow  is  over. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  OCTOBER. 
All  surplus  honey  should  be  removed  and  rushed  on  the  market  during 
this  month,  for  it  will  soon  granulate;  and  bees  should  be  properly  and  snugly 
put  up  for  winter  (see  "Wintering  Bees").  This  is  our  last  busy  month  in 
the  apiary,  and  we  should  be  able  to  look  back  over  the  preceding  ones  with 
but  few  if  any  regrets ;  but  if  we  have  made  blunders  we  should  mark  them 
and  overcome  them  next  season ;  and  if  we  have  learned  anything,  impart  it 
to  other  bee-keepers. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  NOVEMBER. 
As   apiary    work    includes    the    work   we    do    in    our    honey-houses   and 
work-shops,    all    supers,    sections,    section-holders,    separators,    frames,    etc., 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  ^ 

should  be  cleaned  up,  or  the  propolis  removed  from  them  by  scraping  them 
with  a  knife  or  scraper;  then  stack  them  up  nicely  in  the  shop. 

APIARY  WORK  FOR  DECEMBER. 

This  month  is  a  good  time  to  look  up  and  do  the  repair  work  in  the 
apiary.  If  the  hive-stands  will  not  last  another  season  they  should  be 
replaced  by  new  ones ;  or  if  the  old  ones  need  overhauling  it  should  be  done. 
If  the  bottoms,  tops,  or  any  parts  of  the  hives  need  overhauling  or  to  be  sup- 
plied with  new  parts,  the  work  should  be  done  now,  so  that  it  can  be  painted 
next  month.  All  hives  should  be  raked  around  and  cleared  of  rubbish,  so 
that  if  fire  were  to  get  out  it  would  not  destroy  the  apiary ;  and  it  is  a  good 
time  to  plant  vines  or  trees  to  shad,e  the  apiary. 

Now,  dear  reader,  I  have  touched  here  and  there  on  seasonable  apiary 
work,  or,  in  other  words,  outlined  it;  but  a  deeper  and  clearer  insight  to 
it  can  be  obtained  by  familiarizing  yourself  with  what  is  said  under  other 
heads,  such  as  "Hive  Manipulation,"  "Bee  Culture,"  "Queen  Rearing," 
"Wintering  Bees,"  etc. 


APIARY  SYSTEM. 

Bee-keeping  is  a  business  or  a  profession,  and  should  have  a  business 
consideration,  and  some  system  adopted,  even  if  it  is  pursued  only  on  a 
small  scale.  Every  bee-keeper,  large  or  small,  should  have  a  record-book 
for  his  apiary;  and  whatever  has  been  expended  on  the  bees  should  be 
placed  against  them,  and  the  return  from  them  should  be  placed  to  their 
credit,  so  that,  at  the  end  of  each  season,  we  can  see  the  results  of  the 
apiary.  Many  pounds  and  panfuls  of  honey  have  been  removed  from  our 
hives,  and  not  placed  to  the  credit  of  our  bees,  and  many  chunks  of  the 
desired  and  wholesome  sweet  have  been  ?aten  about  the  apiaries,  and  the 
industrious  bees  have  received  no  credit  for  it. 

Every  colony .  in  the  apiary  should  be  numbered,  and  a  record  kept 
of  each  one— the  number  of  swarms  it  has  cast,  and  the  amount  of  surplus 
honey  that  has  been  removed  from  each  season ;  and  if  it  has  not  furnished 
any  surplus  honey,  give  it  a  bhnk  and  cultivate  it  more  and  better  next 
season,  that  it  may  make  a  good  record.  Also,  in  the  record  of  each  hive 
should  be  kept  the  age  of  the  queen  and  her  progeny,  etc.,  so  that  we 
may  not  carry  her  over  one  season  too  long,  and  thereby  lose  a  surplus 
of  honey  from  the  colony  that  season.  Give  every  colony  a  good  queen 
and  every  queen  a  good  chance,  and  the  apiary  record  will  be  an  interest- 
ing one.  Apiary  work  is  many  times  done  too  late,  and  sometimes  done 
too  soon;  so  it  is  very  necessary  that  it  be  done  at  the  right  time,  or  loss 
will  be  the  result.  We  should  take  a  look  through  every  colony  every 
two  weeks  at  least  during  the  bees'  busy  season,  for  often  a  colony  in  a 


38  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

prosperous  condition  will  suddenly  need  attention;  and  if  it  does  not  re- 
ceive it,  it  will  start  backward.  A  queen  may  fail  during  the  height  of  her 
egg-laying,  especially  if  she  is  old.  I  have  seen  very  prolific  queens  all  at 
once  cease  laying  fertile  eggs  and  fill  the  comb  with  unfertile  ones,  and 
soon  the  hive  would  be  full  of  drones  and  the  colony  in  a  hopeless  condi- 
tion. Sometimes  bees  will  clog  the  brood-nest  with  honey,  and  crowd 
the  queen  out,  and  soon  the  number  of  bees  is  greatly  diminished ;  especially 
will  they  do  this  if  they  get  crowded  for  room  to  store  honey.  Hence  it 
is  necessary  that  we  look  over  our  apiary  at  least  every  two  weeks  dur- 
ing warm  weather,  and  supply  the  needs  of  our  bees;  and  if  there  are  any 
hives  which  need  attention  sooner  than  two  weeks  it  should  be  set  down  in 
the  hive-record  book  the  day  the  visit  should  be  made,  and  what  is  to  be 
done,  etc.;  then  all  we  have  to  do  is- to  refer  to  the  record-book,  and  treat 
the  colonies  that  need  attention,  and  not  molest  those  which  do  not  need  it. 
A  bee-keeper  will  not  advance  far  in  bee  culture  before  he  will  learn  that 
there  is  much  apiary  work  to  be  done  at  certain  times  and  days  or  the 
result  will  be  a  great  loss.  Suppose  a  queen  is  lasting  2,000  eggs  a  day,  and 
then  fails,  and  the  colony  loses  the  use  of  her  for  four  or  five  days :  the  re- 
sult is  a  heavy  loss.  Then  suppose  we  have  a  batch  of  queen-cells  that  need 
grafting,  or  a  batch  of  ripe  cells  to  be  removed  and  distributed  on  a  cer- 
tain day.    If  we  fail  to  get  around,  the  result  is  a  loss. 

Again,  suppose  there  is  a  sudden  change  in  the  honey-flow  and  it  is 
very  heavy,  and  the  bees  are  not  supplied  with  the  proper  room:  the  result 
is  a  loss.  So  systematic  bee-keeping  is  the  best  and  safest  way  to  keep 
bees. 

Hives  should  be  arranged  in  the  apiary  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the 
apiarist  as  much  as  possible.  He  should  stand  at  the  back  or  on  either 
side  of  the  hive  while  examining  it,  and  never  in  front  of  it.  Hives  should 
never  be  arranged  in  front  of  each "  other  closer  than  six  or  eight  feet, 
and  further  is  better,  so  that,  while  looking  through  one  colony,-  other 
colonies  will  not  be  molested;  and  these  should  be  arranged  in  pairs,  or 
two  set  about  18  inches  apart,  so  the  aparist  can  work  or  pass  around 
them ;  and  one  hive  can  be  used  to  set  the  smoker  on,  or  to  lay  the  hive- 
tool  and  other  things  on  while  doing  work  in  the  other  hive. . 

Hives  should  be  arranged  in  pairs  and  rows,  and  never  scattered  pro- 
miscuously, for  it  is  better  in  appearance,  and  the  bees  can  mark  and 
find  their  own  hives  better;  and  it  is  more  convenient  for  the  apiarist. 
Where  an  apiary  is  located  under  natural  shade  the  hives  should  be  ar- 
ranged so  as  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  shade  as  much  as  possible,  and  at 
the  same  time  arrange  them  in  pairs  and  in  rows  if  possible.  Apiaries 
should  never  be  located  in  thickets,  for  it  will  obstruct  the  flight  of 
the  bees.  Small  bushy  trees,  scattered  somewhat,  furnish  the  best  natural 
shade  for  an  apiary. 

The  rows  of  hives  should  run  southwest  and  northeast,  so  that  the 
hives  will  face  toward  the  southeast,  which  arrangement  seems  to  be  best, 
for  the  bees  will  get  the  benefit  of  the  morning  sun;  then  should  the  sun 


A  Serviceable  Jrloney-house— see  page  86. 


SOUTHETIN  BEE  CULTURE  41 

strike  the  hives  in  the  afternoon  the  hives  will  shade  the  entrances,  and 
the  sun  will  shine  more  directly  on  the  back  of  the  hives  than  the  sSdes,  and 
there  will  be  less  danger  of  the  comb  melting  down.  Hives  should  be 
arranged  on  their  stands  so  that  they  will  be  ^  or  ^  inch  higher  at  the  back 
than  the  front,  so  that  water  will  drain  out  and  not  stand  puddled  on  the 
bottoms,  which  would  soon  cause  them  to  rot,  and  at  the  same  time  be  very 
detrimental  to  the  bees.  But  the  hives  should  stand  level  on  the  stands  the 
other  way,  or  the  bees  will  not  build  the  comb  str.aight  in  their  frames. 


MOVING  BEES. 

Moving  bees  is  dangerous  work,  and  the  safest  time  to  do  so  is  at 
night,  when  they  can  not  see  to  fly  and  sting;  but  they  can  be  moved  at 
any  time  if  they  are  properly  prepared. 

If  bees  are  to  be  moved  only  a  short  distance,  move  them  about  one 
f©ot  each  day  until  they  are  located.  By  moving  them  this  way  no  field-bees 
are  lost;  for  after  bees  once  mark  their  location  they  will  return  to  it;  and 
if  their  hive  has  been  moved  they  are  lost  and  will  wander  around  and 
perish,  or  try  to  get  in  some  bther  hive,  and  be  killed;  but  when  it  has 
been  moved  only  a  few  inches  they  will  find  it  and  not  be  lost.  If  the 
hives  are  moved  at  night  only  a  few  steps  the  bees  are  not  aware  that 
they  have  been  moved,  and  next  morning  they  will  come  out  and  go  to  the 
field  just  as  they  have  been  doing;  and,  of  course,  they  will  return  to  the 
old  location  and  be  lost.  But  bees  can  be  moved  successfully  a  short  dis- 
tance during  very  cold  weather  when  they  have  been  confined  in  their 
hives  for  several  days;  but  a  handful  of  grass  or  weeds  should  be  placed 
over  the  entrance  so  that  the  bees  would  have  to  crawl  out  through 
it  and  thus  cause  them  to  mark  their  new  location,  •  and,  of  course,  if 
this  is  done  during  the  busy  season  it  will  be  a  hindrance  to  them,  and 
many  would  be  lost  too ;  and  we  must  not  forget  that  hive  bees  are  valuable, 
especially  in  the  busy  season. 

If  it  is  desired  to  move  bees  some  distance  during  winter,  all  that 
is  necessary  to  assure  safety  to  bees  and  stock  is  to  fasten  the  covers  and 
bottoms  on  the  hives  well  and  see  that  there  are  no  openings  where  the 
bees  can  escape,  then  tack  a  strip  of  gauze  wire  over  the  entrance  so  no 
bees  can  escape,  but  at  the  same  time  enable  them  to  get  air.  As  soon  as 
the  bees  discover  that  they  are  shut  up  they  will  all  begin  to  try  to 
effect  an  escape;  and  by  this  effort  they  will  shut  the  circulation  of  the  air 
out  of  the  hive,  and  soon  the  temperature  will  be  so  high  in  it  that  the 
comb  melts  and  the  bees  are  drowned  and  smothered  to  death,  and  so  the 
bees,  honey,  and  comb  will  be  lost.  If  bees  are  to  be  moved  during 
warm  weather,  prepare  them  in  the  same  manner,  but  cover  the  entire  top 
of  ^  the  hives  wnth  gauze   wire,  so  that  they  can  have   plenty  of  fresh  air, 


42  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

or  they  will  melt  the  comb  down  in  a  few  minutes ;  and  even  then  they 
must  be  shaded  while  on  the  wagoH,  to  be  sure  of  their  safety. 

If  old-style  box  hives  are  to  be  moved,  set  them  on  burlap  sacks, 
pulling  them  up  on  the  sides  of  the  hives  until  they  are  tight  over  the  bot- 
tom of  the  hives,  and  nail  strips  on  each  side  of  the  hives  over  the  sacks 
about  six  inches  from  the  bottoms.  These  strips  will  hold  the  sacks 
to  the  hives ;  then  nail  the  tops  on  well  and  see  that  there  are  no  places 
about  the  hives  where  tjiey  can  escape,  and  lay  them  on  their  sides  on  the 
wagon,  and  the  bees  will  be  safe,  for  they  can  get  plenty  of  fresh  air 
through  the  sacks. 

If  an  accident  should  happen  on  the  road,  or  the  bees  effect  an  escape, 
the  team  should  be  removed  from  the  wagon  as  soon  as  possible. 


THE  STING  OF  BEES. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  bitter  part  of  bee-keeping,  for  all  dread  the 
sting  of  bees;  and  for  this  reason  bee-keeping  has  not  made  the  progress 
it  should,  for  many  will  not  keep  bees  for  that  reason,  and  many  have 
killed  their  bees  because  they  would  sting,  and  a  great  number  have  sold 
them  for  the  same  reason. 

The  sting  of  the  bee  is  the  greatest  if  not  the  only  objection  to  its  cul- 
tivation; but  should  it  be  an  objection,  or  a  thing  in  favor  of  its  cultiva- 
tion? I  claim  that  its  weapon  of  defense  is  a  great  thing  in  favor  of  its 
cultivation,  and  it  could  hardly  be- cultivated  without  it;  for  the  Creator 
certainly  did  not  make  any  mistake  when  he.  gave  it  a  sting,  and  the  knowl- 
edge to  use  it  as  it  does. 

Honey  as  food  is  considered  a  luxury  by  the  majority  of  people,  and 
it  can  not  be  obtained  in  all  sections  and  at  all  times ;  and  colonies  of  bees 
could  not  stand  around  unmolested  if  the  bees  did  not  have  some  way  to 
defend  their  hives ;  and  if  there  were  no  honey  in  the  hives,  the  intruders 
would  unnecessarily  molest  them  and  cause  the  keeper  of  the  bees  a  loss. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  the  sting  of  the  bees  should  not  affect  its 
cultivation;  and  enduring  a  little  pain  now  and  then  is  no  great  objection 
to  their  cultivation.  It  is  possible,  but  not  practicable  to  keep  bees  and  never 
get  stung  while  molesting  or  wo'rking  among  them,  by  the  use  of  veils 
and  gloves,  and  keeping  them  well  subdued  with  smoke. 

The  pain  of  bee-stings  is  soon  easy  to  endure,  and  not  so  much  to 
be  dreaded,  for  we  get  used  to  them,  and  endure  them  about  as  the  old 
ox  does  the  lash. 

The  sting  of  the  bee  has  barbs  similar  to- those  on  fish-hooks;  so  when 
it  inserts  it  into  the  flesh  it  is  unable  to  remove  it,  and  tears  itself  from 
it ;  and  when  it  is  removed  the  tiny  barbs  will  pull  through  the  flesh  or 
break  off  and  remain  there.     I  have  been  stung  many  times,  when  the  sting 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE  43 

was  inserted  in  m)'  flesh  so  deep  that  I  would  have  to  remove  it  with  the 
sharp  point  of  my  knife;  then  many  times  they  would  break  off  and  be 
so  deep  in  my  flesh  that  I  could  hardly  remove  them.  The  stings  that 
are  inserted  deep  into  the  tender  portions  of  the  flesh  are  the 
ones  that  give  the  most  pain.  While  the  sharp  end  of  the  sting  is 
being  inserted  in"  the  flesh,  there  is  a  tiny  sac  of  poison  at  the  other  end 
emptying  its  contents  around  the  sting  and  penetrating  the  flesh.  The 
sooner  the  sting  is  removed,  the  less  of  this  poison  gets  into  the  flesh, 
and  the  less  painful  the  sting  will  be;  but  if  it  is  removed  by  catching  it 
between  the  fingers  all  the  poison  will  be  squeezed  out  of  the  sac  into  the 
wound  made  by  the  sting,  and,  of  course,  it  will  be  more  painful  than  if  it 
were  removed  with  a  knife  or  scraped  off  against  the  corner  of  the  hive 
so  that  the  poison  would  not  get  into  the  wound  made  by  the  sting  any 
more  than  possible. 

As  yet  there  has  been  no  remedy  discovered  that  will  kill  the  effect 
of  bee-stings;  and  the  best  we  can  do  is  to  avoid  as  many  of  them  as 
possible,  and,  when  stung,  remove  them  in  the  best  and  quickest  way 
possible.  Bees  do  not  always  sting  as  soon  as  they  alight;  and  if  they  are 
given  a  quick  mash,  many  painful  stings  may  be  avoided.  If  one  alights  on 
your  hand  or  arm,  dislodge  it  at  once  by  giving  your  hand  a  quick  jerk,  or 
sling,  and  many  stings  will  thus  be  saved. 

By  watching  the  bees  closely  you  can  tell  when  their  intentions  are  to 
sting  you,  and 'they  should  be  thoroughly  subdued  before  they  are  further 
molested. 

If  a  bee  is  slightly  pressed  it  will  endeavor  to  try  to  release  itself  by 
stinging  the  object  pressing  it;  and  while  handling -bees  they  should  not  be 
pressed  or  mashed. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  bees  have  stings  and  the  knowledge  to  use 
them  whenever  they  see  fit;  and  if  we  go  about  their  hives  or  molest 
them  without  using  the  proper  precaution,  and  get  stung,  we  should  endure 
it  as  the  ox  endures  the  sting  of  the  lash,  and  consider  that  it  was  our 
fault  and  not  so  much  the  ill  will  the  bees  may  have  for  us.  While  bees 
consider  all  living  objects  about  their  hives  as  intruders,  yet  they  do  not 
swarm  out  on  them  in  an  unmerciful  manner  and  sting  them  because  they 
have  stings,  and  can  use  them.  They  give  their  intruders  a  chance  to 
move  on;  but  if  they  remain  and  disturb  them,  and  the  defense  of  their 
hives  and  contents  is  forced  upon  them,  naturally  they  will  sting.  I  have 
been  stung  by  bees  thousands  of  times,  but  I  do  not  lay  one  sting  to  their 
charge,   for  I   have  been  an  unmerciful  intruder  many  times. 


ENEMIES  OF  BEES. 

The  enemies  of  honey-bees   are   many,  and  every  apiary   in   the   South 

is   infested  by  them   more  or  less.     Fowls  and  insects  of  various   kinds  to 

some  e.xtent  depend   on  the   apiaries   for  their   daily  food  at  certain  times 

of  the  year,  and  more  so  than  the  majority  of  the  bee-keepers  may  sup- 


44  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

pose.  The  question  is  often  asked,  "Why  is  it  that  my  apiaries  are  so 
hard  to  build  up  in  early  spring?  The  brood-nests  are  large  and  well 
filled,  but  the  old  bees  seem  to  disappear  in  great  numbers." 

If  you  will  go  out  in  the  forest  under  the  trees  where  the  'bees  are 
working  upon  the  blossoms  you  will  at  once  locate  the  trouble  by  seeing 
birds  of  various  kinds  flying  about  over  and  through  the  tree-tops,  sitting 
on  the  boughs,  devouring  bees  in  jgreat  numbers.  If  you  are  not  satisfied 
from  what  you  can  see  from  the  ground,  climb  up  into  the  tops  of  the 
trees  where  the  slaughter  is  taking  place,  and  you  will  see  the  birds  seiz- 
ing the  bees  by  the  waist,  and,  with  a  quick  stroke  against  the  Hmbs,  the 
bees'  abdomens  are  removed  and  fall  to  the  ground,  and  their  waists  are 
swallowed.  This  will  be  done  so  constantly  by  the  same  bird  that  their 
depredations  upon  the  bees  will  be  found  to  be  very  great.  The  birds  will 
catch  the  bees  near  the  end  of  the  bill,  so  there  will  be  no  chance  for 
them  to  sting  them;  but  the  helpless  bees  will  twist  around  in  their  bills 
and  try  to  sting  themselves  loose;  but  their  abdomens  are  quickly  re- 
moved, and  then  they  make  a  sweet  morsel  for  the  hungry  birds.  I  have 
sat  in  tree-tops  many  times  and  watched  the  destruction  of  my  bees  going 
on,  and  wished  that  I  could  come  to  their  assistance;  but  the  multitude  of 
their  enemies  was  so  great  that  it  was  impossible.  I  have  seen  these  birds 
flock  into  my  apiajies  in  spring  during  a  cool  spell,  so  that  the  bees  could 
not'  get  out  in  the  field,  and  kill  so  many  of  the  bees  before  I  was  aware  of 
it  that  the  covers  on  the  hives  would  be  nearly  covered  with  their  abdomens, 
and  piles  of  them  would  be  lying  on  the  alighting-boards.  I  have  killed 
these  birds  and  picked  off  their  feathers  and  scattered  them,  birds  and 
all,  on  the  covers,  and  yet  they  would  catch  and  eat  bees  right  beside, 
their  dead  comrades.  TJiis  depredation  will  not  happen  in  the  apiary  if 
the  birds  can  get  them  in  the  forest.  While  there  are  many  kinds  of  birds 
that  are  enemies  of  bees,  the  redbirds  seem  to  be  the  worst  of  all.  My 
observation  in  that  they  eat  more  bees  than  any  other  birds,  and  they  are 
numerous  all  over  the  South,  and  wherever  they  are  seen  they  may  be 
known  as  the  honey-bee's  worst  enemy.  There  is  a  small  long  white- 
breasted  bird  with  long  bill  and  gray  beak  which  appears  in  the  South  in 
early  spring,  and  disappears  before  winter;  and  it  stays  mostly  in  branches 
of  trees,  and  raises  its  young  there,  in  nests  made  of  moss,  feeding  mostly 
upon  insects.  These  birds  (I  know  no  name  for  them)  are  great  enemies 
of  bees. 

Bee-martins,  cat-birds,  whitter-birds,  cow-pea  birds  (as  they  are  better 
known),  and  many  others  I  know  no  name  for  get  their  share  of  bees. 

Insects,  such  as  dragon-flies,  ants,  spiders,  etc.,  come  in  for  their  share 
of  the  bees;  and  mice  wdll  eat  them  when  food  is  scarce.  And,  lastly, 
the  bee-moth  (or  wax-moth  it  should  be  called)  comes  then  and  eats  up 
the  comb  which  they  built  to  live,  store  honey,  and  rear  the  young  in,  but 
they  will  not  destroy  the  comb  in  strong  colonies  with  prolific  queens; 
for  the  bees  will  keep  them  from  making  progress  in  their  comb.  The 
old  or  flying  moths  may  be  seen  about  the  hives  during  warm  weather,  es- 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  45 

pecially  in  summer  and  fall,  depositing  their  eggs  in  cracks  and  crevices 
about  the  hives  and  on  the  comb  too  at  every  opportunity;  for  they  can  dart 
about  over  the  comb  where  the  bees  are  scattering  over  it,  and  keep  out  of 
the  way  in  places  where  the  bees  can  not  go,  and  deposit  their  eggs  all 
through  the  hives ;  but  if  the  colonies  are  strong,  and  kept  so,  the  bees 
will  be  constantly  passing  over  the  comb,  and  the  interior  of  the  hives, 
removing  these  eggs  or  the  tiny  moths  should  any  of  them  hatch;  but  if 
there  are  any  cracks  in  the  interior  of  the  hives  large  enough  for  them 
to  develop  in  they  will  do  so,  especially  about  the  bottoms,  where  the 
lodgments  may  collect,  for  they  "will  be  food  to  them,  and  the  cracks  will 
be  a  place  of  refuge,  and  the  moths  will  develop  in  them.  Should  any  colonies 
become  queenless,  and  remain  so  for  a  few  weeks,  there  being  nO  bees 
raised,  and  the  old  ones  dying  out  fast,  soon  they  will  be  too  weak  to  crawl 
constantly  over  their  comb,  and  soon  it  is  unoccupied;  and  the  moths, 
old  and  young,  are  present,  and  at  once  begin  their  destructive  work 
by  eating  and  webbing  their  way  through  the  comb  and  rearing  their  young 
in  great  numbers,  and  soon  they  will  completely  destroy  the  colony;  for 
the  combs  will  be  nothing  more  than  a  mass  of  webbs  and  large  fat  moths. 
As  seen  elsewhere  in  this  book,  as  soon  as  a  colony  of  bees  loses  its 
queen  it  is  on  the  road  to  destruction  until  it  is  supplied  with  another 
queen ;  and  even  then  it  will  be  lost  if  she  is  not  given  to  the  colony  in 
time,  or  the  comb  all  removed  and  given  to  strong  colonies,  except  just 
enough  for  them  to  occupy  well.  So  it  wall  be  seen  that  the  moth  only 
hastens  the  destruction,  for  ruin  is  already  upon  them,  and  if  a  colony  of 
bees  runs  short  of  stores  it  will,  in  like  manner,  go  to  destruction  be- 
cause no  small  amount  of  honey  is  consumed  in  rearing  young  bees ;  and  if 
they  haven't  it  they  can  not  raise  them;  and  as ^  the  old  ones  are  fast 
dying  the  comb  will  soom  become  unoccupied  around  on  the  outside  of 
the  brood-nest,  when  the  moth  will  take  it,  and  soon  the  young  queen  and 
her  bees  will  be  lost  because  there  was  no  honey  in  the  field  which  they 
could  gather,  nor  any  in  the  hive,  or  it  was  not  supplied  with  food  to 
raise  young  'bees  to  keep  the  hive  populated.  All  colonies  are  subject  to 
the  moth  at  any  time  during  warm  weather,  but  they  can  not  destroy  a 
single  colony  in  all  the  South  unless  the  keeper  of  the  bees  neglects  the 
duty  he  owes  to  his  bees.  Thousands  of  colonies  are  lost  in  the  South  every 
year  in  this  way,  and  this  great  loss  of  bees  is  laid  to  the  bee-moth  when 
they  have  done  only  a  very  small  part  of  it.  Let  me  advise  right  here, 
dear  reader,  that  the  cultivation  of  bees  is  the  most  reasonable  work 
that  I  have  any  knowledge  of.  It  is  necessary  and  advantageous  to 
them;  they  soon  take  advantage  of  the  proper  care  they  receive,  an,d  adhere, 
to  it  as  long  as  they  can.  Take  a  colony  of  bees  that,  for  some  cause  be- 
yond its  power,  has  run  short  of  stores,  with  no  honey  anywhere  that 
they  can  gather,  and  on  the  way  to  destruction,  will  cease  rearing  brood 
except,  perhaps,  a  very  small  batch,  and  it  scrimps  along,  thinking  per- 
haps that  something  will  happen  for  its  'betterment.  Now  feed  them  and 
note  results.  They  will  at  once,  begin  to  feed  their  small,  dried-up,  half- 
dead  queen,  and  soon  she  will  be  large,  and  her  atdomen  extend  to  its  fullest 


46  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

capacity  with  fertile  eggs  which  are  being  deposited  in  the  cells  over  the 
comb  in  great  numbers,  and  young  bees  are  soon  seen  in  all  stages  of 
development,  the  colony  in  a  prosperous  condition  again,  and  the  moth  (the 
bees'  ever  present  enemy)  is  kept  off,  and  destruction  is  delayed.  The  more 
prolific  varieties  of  bees  will  keep  their  comb  rid  of  moth  better  and  longer 
than  the  less  prolific  varieties. 

The  best  way  to  keep  rid  of  the  moth  is  to  keep  the  colonies  all 
strong,  and  not  leave  any  comb  out  of  the  care  of  the  bees,  for  the  moth 
will  take  to  very  small  pieces  of  comb  left  out,  and,  of  course,  if  they  raise 
in  it  the  number  of  moths  will  be  increased  that  much.  If  a  frame  of 
comb  should  be  carelessly  left  exposed  to  the  moths,  or  allowed  in  any  way 
to  get  mothy,  it  is  given  to  a  strong  colony,  when  the  bees  will  rid  it  of  moth 
in  a  short  time;  but  to  do  this  they  have  to  tear  the  comb  out  from  around 
them,  and  therefore  they  will  leave  the  comb  looking  ragged ;  and  if  it  is 
very  mothy  it  will  be  very  ragged  after  the  bees  clean  it  up,  and  unfit  to  be 
used  as  a  comb;  but  it  can  be  rendered  into  wax.  The  moth,  as  it  eats  its 
way  through  the  comb,  builds  webbed  passages  to  protect  itself  from  the 
bees,  and  they  have  to  tear  the  comb  down  from  around  the  webbed 
passages  before  the  moth  can  be  removed. 

The  bee-moth  is  a  very  small  or  insignificant  enemy  of  the  honey-bee 
in  well-cared-for  apiaries.  The  honey-bee  has  another  great  enemy  which 
it  seems  to  recognizer  at  once  but  man  does  not.  This  enemy  is  in  the  shape 
of  a  human  which  calls  himself  a  bee-keeper,  but  who  is  a  bitter  enemy 
of  the  blessed  little  honey-bee.  Many  and  many  a  dishpan  and  bread-tray 
full  of  honey  have  been  removed  from  their  hives,  and  eaten  by  people 
who  were  not  worthy  of  it.  Many  strong  colonies  have  starved  to  death 
because  an  unworthy  hand  removed  all  the  honey  they  had  stored  to 
subsist  on.  Sulphur  in  the  hands  of  brutish  keepers  has  killed  thousands 
of  colonies.  In  many  other  ways  man  has  proved  himself  a  very  active 
enemy  of  the  little  bees  which  were  sent  among  us  for  us  to  cultivate 
and  make  our  land  more  fruitful,  and  to  save  honey.  Heaven's  sent  food, 
for  us. 


DISEASES  OF  BEES. 

Very,  fortunately  the  bee  family  is  not  diseased  to  any  great  extent ; 
but  it  is  subject  to  disease  if  proper  precautions  are  not  used  to  prevent  it. 
In  most  /Sections  of  the  South,  cane-growing  is  a  great  industry  among  the 
farmers,  and  each  settlement  has  from  one  to  six  syrup-mills  in  it,  and 
along  late  in  the  fall  they  are  all  put  in  operation ;  and  if  the  weather  is 
warm  the  bees  will  take  to  them  in  great  numbers  and  carry  to  their  hives 
some  amount  of  the  inferior  sweet  which  they  can  gather  up  around  such 
places.     This  is  stored  in  tfie  comb,  and  not  sealed;  and  by  spring  it  will 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  47 

be  fermented;  and,  being  uncapped,  and  nearer  around  the  brood-nest,  the 
bees  will  consume  it  first;  and  the  weather  beipg  changeable,  and  the  bees 
confined  to  their  hives  a  few  days,  it  wiill  give  them  the  dysentery,  and  they 
will  die  off  in  great  numbers  right  at  a  time  of  the  season  when  they  are 
mostly  needed.  Their  abdomens  will  become  swollen  to  their  full  capacity, 
and  it  will  affect  them  as  if  they  had  paralysis,  and  they  will  shake  as  if 
they  had  palsy  until  they  are  dead.  I  have  had  strong  colonies  die  from 
this  disease,  and  many  to  weaken  down  to  mere  nuclei  from  the  effect  of 
it.  When  bees  take  to  these  cane-mills,  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  resort 
to  slow  outside  feeding  during  the  middle  of  the  warm  days;  then  if  they 
get  a  little  of  the  inferior  sweet  it  will  be  mixed  with  the  feed,  and  there 
will  be  no  bad  effect  from  it.  Besides,  they  are  destroyed  in  great  numbers 
around  these  cane-mills,  and  are  a  nuisance  to  the  syrup-makers,  and  may 
cause  trouble,  when  feeding  will  draw  them  away. 

There  is  a  contagious  disease  known  as  foul  brood  which  affects  and 
kills  the  young  bees  while  they  are  developing;  but  this  disease  is  not 
prevalent  in  the  South.  I  have  never  seen  a  hive  affected  with  it  and  have 
heard  of  but  a  few  apiaries  that  had  been  affected  with  it.  Then  the  apiarist 
claimed  that  it  was  introduced  to  them  by  picking  up,  at  random,  bargains 
in  cheap  honey  which  was  fed  to  the  bees.  It  has  also  been  reported  that 
foul  brood  has  been  introduced  into  some  apiaries  with  queens  or  jiudei 
brought  abroad.  If  proper  precautions  are  used  this  contagious  disease 
can  be  kept  from  bees.  While  there  is  a  loss  more  or  less  of  young  bees  in 
all  stages  of  development,  in  many  apiaries  in  the  South,  yet  it  is  not  al- 
ways owing  to  disease,  but  to  the  source  of  feed,  for  there  are  certain 
plants  that  yield  a  little  nectar  or  pollen  which  seems  to  poison  the  young 
bees,  and  they  die  rapidly  for  a  short  time,  but  soon  it  is  all  over,  and  rw 
more  symptoms  appear  until  about  the  same  time  next  season.  This  loss 
of  bees  is  usually  small,  and  not  of  enough  consequence  for  treatment. 


FEEDING  BEES. 

Feeding  bees  is  the  safety-valve  to  bee-keeping.  Nothing  can  be  more 
essential  in  bee-keeping  than  feeding  when  necessary.  Why  is  it  that 
thousands  of  colonies  of  bees  die  each  season,  and  hundreds  of  apiaries 
pass  out  of  existence  each  year,  and  so  many  hives  are  light  at  robbing- 
time?     Because  the  bees  have  not  been  fed. 

If  bees  are  not  to  be  fed  when  necessary  they  need  no  good  hives, 
and  surely  no  cultivation.  Perhaps  the  honey-bee  gives  to  the  world 
the  greatest  lesson  in  economy ;  and  the  reason  they  run  short  of  stores,  and 
perish,  is  not  because  they  are  extravagant,  but  because  something  has  be- 
fallen them  that  was  beyond  their  control,  for  they  will  lay  aside  a  supply 
of  food,  if  possible,  to  tide  them  over  in  the  future. 

It  is  explained  elsewhere  that,  if  bees  are  neglected,  they  may  dwindle 
down  and  not  be  in  condition  to   store  up   a   supply  of  honey   for   future 


SOUTHERN    BEE  CULTURE 


use;  and  bees  are  depending  on  certain  plants  that  bloom  at  certain  times 
of  the  year  for  their  supply  of  food,  and  this  plant  is  also  depending 
on  weather  condifions  to  secrete  honey.  Suppose  the  weather  conditions 
are  not  favorable,  and  little  or  no  honey  is  the  result ;  then  the  bees  may 
starve.  Bees  should  not  be  fed  unless  they,  need  it ;  and  even  then  it 
should  be  done  in  season,  for,  if  fed  too  much,  they  will  fill  the  brood- 
nest  with  it  and  crowd  the  queen  out.  The  portion  of  comb  arou-id  the 
brood-nest,  where  the  bees  usually  keep  their  ready  supply  of  stores,  should 
never  be  allowed  to  become  empty;  for  if  it  does,  some  loss  will  be  the 
result.  Even  when  the  bees  go  into  the  honey-flow  they  should  have  this 
amount  of  stores,  so  that  the  new  honey  may  go  into  the  super  i.  Let  me 
emphasize  this  point,  dear  reader,  keep  this  rim  of  stores  around  the 
brood-nests.  Don't  think  that,  when  bees  are  fed,  they  will  waste  the 
feed,  for  they  will  at  the  proper  time  turn  it  into  bees  that  will  gather 
honey,  or  utilize  it  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  A  great  lesson  in 
economy  is  given  to  us  by  the  honey-bees. 

I  know  nothing  better  to  feed  bees  in  than  feeders  sent  out  by  the 
bee-supply  manufacturers.  They  are  simple,  cheap,  and  durable,  and  no 
progressive   apiary  should  be   without   them. 

There  is  no  feeder  better  to  build  up  nuclei  with  than  the  Doolittle 
divisiqji-board  feeder.  •  It  rests  in  the  hive  like  a  frame,  and  can  be 
used  in  place  of  a  division-board,  and  placed  close  to  the  outside  frame, 
the  feed  is  handy  to  the  bees,  and  the  heat  of  them  will  keep  it  warm, 
which  is  a  great  help  to  the  bees  in  removing  and  utilizing  it.  This  style 
of  feeder  is  also  good  and  handy  to  feed  full  colonies  in,  as  it  can  be  set 
in  the  hive  next  to  the  outside,  and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  remove 
the  cover  more  than  two  inches  to  fill  the  feeder,  and  will  disturb  the 
bees  but  little. 

If  heavy  feeding  is  to  be  done,  there  is  no  feeder  more  convenient 
for  the  bees  and  the  apiarist  than  the  Miller  feeder,  which  is  set  on  top 
of  the  brood-frames  in  a  super.    It  holds  15  or  20  pounds  of  feed. 

If  no  feeders  are  bought  to  feed  the  bees  in,  tin  pans  about  two  inches 
high,  10  or  II  wide,  make  very  good  feeders;  but  they  must  be  filled  with 
straw  or  hay,  or  the  bees  will  get  into  the  syrup  and  drown.  These  pans 
of  straw  are  set  on  the  brood-frames  in  empty  supers,  and  filled  with 
feed;  but  in  refilling  the  pans  the  bees  should  be  smoked  out  of  them, 
as  many  which  are  down  in  the  straw  after  feed  will  be  drowned  when 
more  feed  is  added. 

In  feeding  nuclei,  the  pans  should  be  smaller,  and  rest  right  over  the 
cluster  of  bees  on  the  brood-frames  in  empty  supers ;  but  these  empty  supers 
contain  too  much  space  for  the  small  cluster  of  bees  to  keep  at  the 
proper  temperature,  so  a  few  sticks  should  be  laid  across  the  pans,  and 
sacks  folded  up  and  placed  over  them  and  the  brood-frames  so  as  to 
give  them  as  condensed  a  space  to  keep  warm  as  possible.  The  sticks 
across  the  pans  will  hold  the  sacks  up  so  that  the  bees  can  easily  get  to  the 
feed.     If  full  colonies   were  to  be  fed  in   this   way   during  cool  weather  it 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  49 

would  be  necessary  to  use  sacks  or  some  kind  of  cloth  to  condense  the 
space  in  the  supers.  It  must  be  remembered  that  bees  have  to  keep  the 
temperature  up  in  their  hives  dviring  cold  or  cool  weather  in  order  to  exist; 
therefore  the  more  we  help  them  do  this,  the  better  it  is  for  them,  and 
the  less  food  they  have  to  consume  to  do  it. 

There  are  two  objects  in  feeding  bees.  One  is  to  avert  their  starva- 
tion, and  the  other  is  to  stimulate  them  and  cause  them  to  spread  their 
brood  more  rapidly  than  they  otherwise  would.  But  this  is  not  necessary 
in  the  South,  for  the  early  honey-plants  will  do  this  except,  perhaps,  in  a 
few  sections  where  they  have  no  early  pollen  or  honey-plants. 

Some  bee-keepers  practice  outdoor  or  wholesale  feeding  by  placing 
the  feed  out  where  all  the  bees  have  access  to  it.  This  is  a  good  plan 
where  all  bees  need  feeding,  or  where  it  is  desired  to  feed  them  to  stimu- 
late them;  otherwise  it  might  not  be  good  practice,  for  some  colonies 
will  get  too  much  feed,  and  crowd  the  brood-nest  with  it,  and  if  colonies 
have  plenty  of  stores  they  should  not.be  fed.  So  by  feeding  them  in  the 
hives  we  can  feed  the  colonies  which  need  it,  and  stop  as  soon  as  they 
have  been  fed  enough.  If  wholesale  feeding  is  done,  it  should  be  during 
the  middle  of  the  day  and  not  when  the  weather  is  cool,  or  the  bees 
mav  be  chilled  and  many  of  them  lost.  Such  feeding  is  likely  to  excite 
robbing,  while  feeding  them  in  their  hives  late  in  the  evening  will  not 
excite  robbing,  and  there  can  be  no  better  or  safer  way  to  feed  bees ;  and, 
besides,  you  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  your  own  bees  get 
all  the  feed,  and  that  you  are  not  feeding  your  neighbors'  bees  as  you  would 
be  sure  to  do  in  outdoor  feeding. 

Before  feeding  weak  colonies  the  entrances  should  be  contracted  so 
that  only  one  or  two  bees  can  pass  at  a  time;  then  feed  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  there  will  be  no  danger  of  robbing.  Also  the  covers  on  the 
hives  of  colonies  fed  should  fit  down  well  all  around,  for  such  an  open- 
ing is  the  best  place  around  hives  for  robbers  to  collect  and  rob  out  the 
weaker  colonies. 

Bees  should  never  be  fed  anything  but  honey  or  syrup  made  of  equal 
parts  of  granulated  sugar  and  water.  Stir  the  sugar  until  it  is  well  dissolved, 
ard  it  will  be  a  thick  clear  ?yrup,  ready  to  be  poured  into  the  feeders. 
There  can  be  no  better  feed  for  bees  than  this  syrup;  and,  in  fact,  it 
is  preferred  to  honey. 

Never  feed  bees  common  cane  syrup ;  for,  as  long  as  there  is  any  in  the 
comb,  it  will  give  you  trouble.  I  have  tried  it  to  my  sorrow.  I  have 
also  tried  a  syrup  made  of  light-brown  sugar,  and  the  sugar  made  of  the 
common  cane;  but  results  were  not  satisfactory,  for,  when  the  bees  fed  on 
it  were  confined  to  their  hives  for  a  few  days  by  a  cold  snap  they  were 
threntened  with  dysentery.     So  the  best  feed  is  none  too  good. 


so  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 


OUR  BEE  PASTURE. 


The  idea  that  bees  gather  honey  nearly  the  entire  year  prevails  among 
the  public  or  those  less  experienced  in  bee  culture.  They  know  that  bees 
gather  honey  from  blossoms;  and  at  times  of  the  year  when  the  forest 
is  full  of  bloom  it  is  natural  for  them  to  think  that  the  hives  are  being 
filled  with  new  honey.  These  natural  ideas  are  false  ones;  for- at  times 
of  the  year,  and  especially  in  early  spring,  when  the  forest  is  illuminated 
with  blossoms  of  various  kinds  and  colors,  bees  may  starve  to  death  during 
this  seemingly  good  honey  time.  The  blossoms  are  dry  (destitute  of 
honey),  and  the  plants  that  are  in  bloom  are  not  honey-plants. 

Bees  may  gather  a  small  amount  of  honey  at  various  times ;  but  only 
a  few  days  in  the  year  do  they  gather  it  in  large  quantities,  as  only  a  few 
blossoms  of  the  blooming  forest  secrete  honey,  and  these  few  particular 
trees,  bushes,  and  weeds  that  come  in  bloom  at  various  times  of  the  year 
which  our  bees  may  gather  some  honey  or  pollen  from  are  what  we  call 
our  pollen  and  honey-plants,  and  these  compose  our  bee-pasture. 

While  bees  may  gather  only  pollen,  and  may  be  a  little  nectar  (raw 
or  unevaporated  honey)  from  some  of  these  plants,  they  are  a  great  help.  It 
stimulates  them,  and  causes  them  to  spread  their  brood  and  be  great  in 
number  of  bees  when  our  great  honey-plants  come  in  bloom. 

These  plants  that  furnish  pollen  and  a  small  amount  of  honey  for  our 
bees  to  build  up  on  are  called  our  lesser  honey-plants ;  and  those  that  our 
bees  gather  a  surplus  of  honey  from  are  called  our  greater  honey-plants. 
If  we  have  high  cool  winds  or  a  rainy  season,  or  a  cool  spell  while  these 
particular  plants  are  in  bloom,  the  result  is  a  honey  failure,  whence  comes 
the  uncertainties  of  bee-keeping,  because  such  weather  conditions  waste  the 
nectar,  should  the  honey-plants  secrete  any  during  such  unfavorable  condi- 
tions ;  and,  besides,  bees  can  not  get  out  in  the  field  during  such  weather. 
But  if  the  weather  is  calm,  warm,  and  sunny  during  the  blooming  of  the 
greater  honey-plants,  a  large  crop  of  honey  will  be  the  result  if  the  bees  are 
in  proper  condition.  A  dry  warm  season  is  apt  to  be  a  good^  honey  season, 
and  a  cold  wet  season  a  poor  one.  Because  bees  are  flying  in  and  out  of 
their  hives  briskly  is  no  sign  that  they  are  gathering  honey,  for  they  will 
do  this  whenever  the  weather  is  warm  enough  for  them  to  fly,  perhaps 
searching  for  honey  or  pvollen.  Then  to  see  them  prying  around  on  blos- 
soms is  no  sure  indication  that  they  are  gathering  honey  from  them,  for 
they  may  be  only  searching  for  it;  but  when  the  honey-plants  come  in 
bloom  the  bees  will  take  to  'their  blossoms  and  will  be  seen  tumbling  about  the 
entrance  of  the  hives,  loaded  with  honey.  Then  to  be  sure  that  they  are  gath- 
ering honey,  lift  out  a  few  frames  in  some  strong  colony  and  jar  them  a  lit- 
tle; and  if  there  is  new  honey  in  the  comb  it  will  drop  out;  and  whatever 
blossoms  the  bees  are  seen  on  mostly  are  secreting  the  honey,  and  the  plant 
that  is  blooming  is  a  honey-plant.  It  is  interesting  to  roam  the  forest  and 
study  our  bee  pasture  and  the  relations  that  exist  between  bees  and  plants, 
how  they  are  dependent  on  each  other,  and  that  they  sleep  together  in  the 
winter  and  awaken  together  in  early  spring;   for  as  soon  as  the  first  buds 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  51 

begin  to  swell  with  new  sap  the  bees  are  present  on  them,  and  so  they 
thrive  together  during  spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  and  again  rest  to- 
gether in  winter.  And  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  condition  the  earth  or 
soil  is  in  when  honey-plants  are  secreting  honey.  It  is  also  interesting  to 
note  the  atmospheric  conditions  under  which  the  honey-plants  secrete  their 
nectar,  sparingly  or  heavily. 

Our  bee-pasture  is  an  interesting  subject,  and  studying  and  learn- 
ing it  is  very  essential  to  successful  bee-keeping;  and  every  bee-keeper 
should'  master  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  sources,  of  honey  and  pollen  in 
his  location,  and  note  the  times  during  the  season  when  these  particular 
plants  begin  to  bloom,  the  duration  of  their  blooming,  and  the  amount 
of  pollen  and  honey  the  bees  usually  secure  from  them,  etc.,  in  order 
that  he  may  operate  his  apiary  accordingly,  have  his  bees  built  up  to  a 
honey-gathering  condition  by  the  time  the  honey-plants  begin  to  bloom, 
and  to  have  them  supplied  with  proper  room.  While  Mother  Earth  has 
blessed  some  sections  and  localities  with  more  honey-plants  than  others,  yet 
there  are  but  few  localities  in  the  South  that  will  not  justify  beekeeping  if 
they  are  the  right  kind  of  bees,  and  receive  the  proper  culture. 

An  inferior  run-down  race  or  strain  of  bees  will  make  a  poor  loca- 
tion anywhere.  I  remember  that  back  in  my  earlier  bee-keeping  days, 
the  queen-breeders  often  mailed  me  price  lists  of  their  queens,  and  I 
also  saw  them  advertised  in  bee  journals,  but  thought  they  just  wanted 
to  speculate  on  me ;  but  finally  I  did  place  an  order  for  a  few,  and  in- 
troduced them  to  colonies  around  in  the  apiary  in  early  spring.  I  did  not 
get  any  more  honey  from  them  during  the  spring  flow,  but  they  swarmed 
not  a  little.  At  the  end  of  the  spring  flow  I  put  the  supers  back  on  all 
hives,  and  got  busy  at  something  else;  and  when  I  went  back  in  the  fall 
to  remove  the  supers  and  look  over  the  apiary  I  found  to  my  great  sur- 
prise the  supers  on  the  hives  where  I  had  introduced  the  queens,  and  the 
supers  on  the  hives  I  had  put  new  swarms  in,  all  full  of  capped  honey. 
I  removed  these  heavy  supers  and  examined  the  brood-apartments,  and 
found  them  full  of  sealed  honey,  and  the  queens  nearly  crowded  out. 
I  distributed  the  most  of  this  honey  around  in  the  apiary,  for  the  old  race  of 
bees  was  nearly  on  the  point  of  starvation,  while  the  new  race  was  heavy 
with  stores  and  had  a  large  surplus,  the  source  of  which  I  did  not  know 
at  that  time,  but  found  out  the  next  season  that  it  was  mostly  from 
the  cotton-plant;  and  I  have  been  obtaining  a  good  surplus  from  this  source 
each  season  since,  from  the  prolific  varieties  of  bees. 

Dear  reader,  I  mention  this  to  help  establish  the  fact  that  you  do 
not  know  the  value  of  your  section  as  a  honey  location  until  you  have  tried 
it  with  prolific  bees.  The  idea  of  poor  locations  without  ever  testing  them 
has  burdened  bee-keeping  in  the  South.  There  is  a  wrong  prevailing 
idea  about  bee  pasture  among  those  less  experienced  in  bee  culture;  and 
that   is,   that   they  should  plant   something  for  their  bees   to    gather  honey 


S2  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

from.  Let  us  keep  prolific  bees  to  save  the  honey  that  is  already  secreted 
and  wasted  in  our  bee-pastures  before  we  plant  anything  for  them. 

Oover  can  be  planted,  in  sections  where  it  grows,  for  its  forage  and 
honey. 

Wherever  cotton  is  grown  in  the  South  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
plant  anything  for  our  bee-pasture ;  and,  very  fortunately,  it  is  extensively 
grown  nearly  all  over  the  South ;  but,  very  unfortunately,  its  great  value 
as  a  honey-plant  is  not  well  known. 


ECONOMY  IN  BEE-KEEPING: 

Economy  in  bee-keeping  is  what  the  beginner  and  the  outsider  may  call 
extravagance ;  but,  so  far  as  I  know  and  can  learn,  extravagance  has  never 
been  practiced  on  bees  in  the  South ;  but  I  know  economy  has,  and  its  effect 
is  well  known.  The  prevailing  idea  among  the  majority  of  bee-keepers  now 
is,  "Why  should  I  buy  a  bee-smoker,  and  bee-veil,  and  pay  $1.75  or  $2.00  for 
a  patent  hive  to  put  my  bees  in  when  I  can  hive  them  in  an  old-style  box  hive 
or  drygoods-box,  and  they  will  build  comb  and  store  honey  in  it?"  Yes,  and 
they  will  store  just  as  much  honey  in  it  as  they  will  in  a  modern  hiye  if  they 
are  just  hived  and  robbed  once  or  twice  a  year  so  long  as  they  exist ;  but  this 
is  not  economy  in  bee-keeping,  but  it  is  extravagance  to  let  large  vigorous 
swarms  of  bees  dwindle  down  and  finally  be  lost  when  there  is  so  much  honey 
going  to  waste  each  season  which  can  and  should  be  saved. 

Economy  in  bee-keeping  is  giving  the  bees  the  very  best  possible  chance 
by  keeping  them  in  good  hives  in  good  condition,  which  can' be  done  by  con- 
stant and  proper  care.  Even  where  modern  hives  are  adopted  or  used,  there 
is  often  too  much  so-called- economy  practiced.  This  is  true  in  the  use  of 
foundation,  for  it  is  too  often  used  too  sparingly.  Very  narrow  strips  of  it 
used  in  the  sections  and  brood-frames  are  not  enough  inducement  or  help  to 
the  bees  in  their  work ;  and  ri^^ht  here  is  where  a  lot  of  dissatisfaction  arises 
in  the  use  of  modern  hives.  As  stated,  the  narrow  strip  of  foundation  is  not 
enoufrh  inducement  to  get  the  bees  to  go  up  into  the  top  stories  and  build 
comb  in  sections  and  frames  in  which  to  store  their  honey.  By  all  means  the 
sections  ard  frnmcs  should  be  well  filled  with  foundation  to  expect  the  best 
results.  Even  in  the  brood-apartments  or  bottom  stories  it  pays  to  use  full 
sheets  of  foundation  in  the  long  run ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  where  bees 
are  allowed  to  swarm  naturall}',  for  large  vigorous  swarms  will  quickly  build 
a  set  of  nice  comb  in  the  brood-chamber;  but  where  artificial  increase  is 
made,  full  sheets  of  foundation  are  very  necessary.  Then  in  equipping  our 
apiaries  after  modern  hives  have  been  adopted  and  bought  it  is  economy  to 
buy  the  best  modern  implements.  It  is  not  economy  to  make  hives  which  we 
think  would  be  just  as  good  as  modern  factory-made  hive?,  for  the  best 
hives  we  can  buy  are  none  too  good. 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  S3 

SWARMING. 

Every  living  thing  has  some  way  of  multiplying  or  reproducing  its  kind, 
and  swarming  is  the  way  the  honey-bees  have  extended  their  species  from 
year  to  year.  It  is  imbedded  in  their  instinct  to  do  so,  and  they  may  at  any 
time  when  things  look  favorable  to  them,  for  they  certainly  have  a  desire  to 
do  so  which  can  never  be  removed  from  them.  But  conditions  can  be  brought 
about  that  will  greatly  lessen  swarming,  though  they  desire  to,  yet  conditions 
do  not  seem  favorable  to  them  to  do  so.  Our  earliest  pollen-plants  will  begin 
to  bloom  in  January,  and  the  bees  will  begin  to  rear  young;  and  along  in 
February  they  will  have  a  large  batch  of  young  bees  in  all  stages  of  devel- 
opment :  and  during  March  some  honey  will  be  coming ;  and  usually  we  have 
some  warm  days  and  nights,  and  the  bees  will  spread  their  brood  rapidly, 
and  by  the  first  of  April  the  brood-nest  is  full  of  young  bees,  and  is  kept  this 
way  until  the  first  heavy  honey-flow  begins ;  and  by  this  time  the  hive  should 
be  boiling  over  with  bees,  and  will  at  once  begin  to  make  preparation  to 
swarm  by  starting  queen-cells ;  and  if  there  are  any  old  ones  about  over  the 
comb  the  queen  will  lay  eggs  in  them ;  and  by  the  time  the  honey-flow  is  well 
on,  the  bees  may  begin  to  swarm,  because  conditions  are  favorable,  there  being 
plenty  of  honey  in  the  fields,  and  a  good  supply  in  the  hive,  and  plenty  of  old 
and  young  bees,  and  all  things  appear  in  a  prosperous  condition  to  them ;  and 
the  young  queens  in  the  cells  (one  of  which  is  to  be  the  mother  of  the  colony) 
are  fast  developing.     It  is  natural  then  to  suppose  they  may  swarm. 

Some  time  during  this  period  they  will  come  to  an  understanding  in 
regard  to  the  matter,  and  cease  feeding  their  queen  so  highly,  so  she  will 
slack  up  egg-laying  and  be  able  to  fly  and  go  out  with  the  swarm.  Then 
some  time  during  the  first  warm  sunny  day  they  will  boil  out  of  the  hive 
in  an  excited  manner  and  the  old  queen  with  them,  leaving  a  portion  of 
the  bees  with  the  old  colony  to  keep  it  in  a  thriving  condition.  The  great 
army  of  bees  are  soon  out,  making  a  heavy  roaring  noise,  and  after  flying 
in  a  circling  manner  for  a  few  minutes  they  will  settle  on  some  object. 
Sometimes  they  do  not  settle  at  all.  but  soon  are  off,  going  in  a  straight  direc- 
tion to  their  future  place  of  abode,  which  they  have  previously  picked  out. 
But  this  does  not  often  happen,  for  they  generally  settle  first,  and  sometimes 
they  remain  settled  but  a  few  minutes,  and  take  to  parts  unknown.  I  do  not 
know  that  all  swarms  that  issue  have  a  future  abiding-place  picked  out;  but 
it  is  sure  that  some  of  them  do,  and  it  is  also  true  that  all  swarms  take  some 
steps  in  this  direction,  for  they  send  out  certain  bees  to  rove  the  forest  for 
a  hollow.  Sometimes  a  swarm  will  remain  on  the  settling-place  for  two  or 
three  days,  but  usually  they  will  remain  there  only  a  few  hours  or  over  one 
night. 

Sometimes  bees  will  naturally  swarm  excessively,  and  but  little  if  any 
surplus  honey  will  be  the  result ;  but  it  should  not  be  allowed  unless  increase 
is  desired.  The  cause  of  so  much  swarming  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  bees 
haven't  the  proper  room  to  store  their  surplus  honey,  and  this  can  be  over- 
come to  a  great  extent  by  supplying  them  this  needed  room. 

Swarms  of  bees  should  be  hived  as  soon  as  they  settle  well;  therefore 
it  is  very  necessary  to  have  the  hives  in  readiness ;  and,  besides,  it  is  a  nerv- 


54  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

ous  job  to  fix  up  hives  when  there  are  large  swarms  of  bees  hanging  about 
the  apiary.  Other  swarms  also  may  issue  or  come  out  and  settle  on  them, 
and  give  you  a  whole  lot  of  trouble  in  dividing  them. 

Settled  swarms  of  bees  should  be  handled  or  removed  from  their  set- 
tling place  as  gently  as  possible.  A  swarm-catcher  is  a  good  device  for  this 
purpose  (see  "Apiarian  Implements"),  or  a  tin  can  may  be  used;  or  if  they 
settle  on  a  small  limb  it  can  be  sawed  off  and  the  bees  dislodged  gently  in 
front  of  the  hive. 

In  preparing  hives  for  natural  swarms  a  few  should  be  prepared  with 
full  sheets  of  foundation  in  the  brood-frames,  and  all  small  swarms  hived 
in  them;  but  all  the  large  swarms  can  be  hived  on  starters,  as  they  are  pre- 
pared for  comb-building,  and  will  soon  build  them  a  set  of  good  combs, 
while  the  small  swarms  are  not  so  well  prepared  to  build  comb;  and,  if  not 
given  full  sheets  of  foundation,  they  may  build. a  poor  set  of  combs;  and, 
besides,  they  need  this  great  help. 

When  a  colony  of  bees  swarms,  the  most  of  the  vigor  or  strength  of  it 
goes  out  with  the  swarm,  therefore  it  will  not  recover  from  this  great  loss, 
perhaps,  until  the  next  honey-flow ;  and  to  get  the  best  results  from  the  new 
swarm,  remove  the  old  hive  which  swarmed,  and  set  the  newly  hived  swarm 
in  its  place  as  soon  as  the  bees  are  in  it.  The  field  force  will  come  from  the 
old  hive  back  to  the  same  location,  and  increase  its  force ;  and  in  two  or 
three  days  after  the  new  swarm  has  been  hived  give  them  a  super ;  for,  if  the 
weather  is  favorable,  by  this  time  they  will  have  nearly  a  full  set  of  combs 
built  in  the  brood-apartment,  and  nearly  filled  with  brood  and  honey,  when 
they  will  soon  enter  the  super,  building  comb  and  storing  honey. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that,  when  bees  swarm,  they  are  expecting  to 
search  and  find  them  another  abiding-place  and  go  to  it,  and  that  they  are 
not  expecting  to  be  supplied  and  put  in  it;  and,  as  they  haVe  a  wonderful 
instinct,  they  may  decide  that  it  will  be  removed  from  them,  and  that  they 
had_  better  go  to  the  forest  for  a  home,  where  their  instinct  leads  them. 
So  they  may  come  out  and  leave,  although  they  were  gently  put  into  a  well- 
prepared  hive.  But  a  well-prepared  hive  (containing  full  sheets  of  foundation, 
etc.),  will  greatly  lessen  the  number  of  absconding  swarms.  As  soon  as  a 
swarm  begins  to  issue,  if  you  will  go  to  some  colony  and  get  out  one  frame 
containing  eggs  and  very  young  tiny  bees,  and  insert  it  in  the  middle  of  the 
hive  you  have  prepared  for  the  new  swarm,  when  hived  they  will  not  leave 
the  brood.  If  the  frame  is  removed  from  another  colony  which  has  been 
hived  but  a  few  days  it  will  be  new,  tender,  and  contain  no  sealed  brood,  but 
some  new  honey  scattered  around  in  the  cells,  and  Ibts  of  eggs  and  tiny  bees ; 
and  it  matters  not  if  the  comb  is  not  built  down  near  the  bottom-bar  nor  the 
cell  built  out.  This  is  an  ideal  comb,  and  you  may  be  sure  your  new  swarm 
will  not   leave  it. 

NATURAL  SWARMING. 
Natural  increase  is  nature's  way  of  increasing  the  number  of  swarms, 
and  is  the  best  way  for  a  bee-keeper  to  increase  the  number  of  his  colonies 
until  he  is  advanced  in  bee  culture  and  knows  what  he  is  doing  when  he 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  $5 

begins  to  tear  up  his  strong  and  vigorous  colonies  of  bees;  for  it  would 
require  constant  and  intelligent  attention,  and  heavy  feeding  would  have  to  be 
resorted  to,  if  any  surplus  honey  could  be  expected  from  them;  for  it  must  be 
remembered  that  all  increase  is  made  at  the  expense  of  the  honey  crop. 

If  a  bee-keeper  will  practice  natural  increase,  and  give  his  bees  the  nec- 
essary attention,  and  lose  no  colonies,  by  neglect,  his  bee  business  will  soon 
be  running  over  him,  and  he  will  have  bees  to  sell  if  he  does  not  care  to 
spread  his  business  out  over  the  country.  Besides,  he  will  save  large  crops  of 
honey  in  good  seasons. 

Of  course,  where  natural  swarming  is  practiced  the  apiaries  require  close 
attention  during  swarming  time,  which  is  only  a  short  time  each  year,  and 
only  through  the  middle  of  each  day. 

By  keeping  the  colonies  strong  and  giving  them  only  a  limited  amount 
of  storing  room,  they  will  naturally  swarm  more  than  they  otherwise  would. 
If  only  a  very  moderate  natural  increase  is  desired,  give  the  bees  ample 
storing  room,  and  elevate  the  hives  from  the  bottom-board  about  %  inch 
all  around.  This  will  give  the  bees  more  ventilation,  and  lessen  their  desire 
to  swarm;  but  hives  should  not  be  ventilated  until  the  bees  begin  to  lie 
out  on  the  front  of  the  hive. 

There  is  another  way  to  have  only  a  moderate  natural  increase  from  the 
bees;  and  that  is,  to  run  some  colonies  for  extracted  honey,  some  for  comb, 
and  some  for  chunk  honey.  So  natural  increase  can  be  governed  nearly  to 
suit  any  bee-keeper,  and  it  is  a  good  and  safe  way  for  the  amateur  bee- 
keeper to  increase  the  size  of  his  apiary,  and  he  at  the  same  time  will  obtain 
satisfactory  results  in  honey  and  bees. 

ARTIFICIAL  SWARMING. 

Artificial  increase  is  man's  way  of  swarming  bees.  If  a  bee-keeper  has 
plenty  of  young  prolific  queens  available,  and  does  not  mind  the  expense  of 
feeding  his  bees,  he  can  do  wonders  along  the  line  of  increasing  his  bees 
artificially  if  at  the  same  time  he  does  not  mind  to  hustle.  There  are  many 
ways  to  do  this ;  but  I  must  stay  on  the  economic  side  of  bee-keeping  and 
let  the  bees  pay  their  way  as  they  increase,  and  not  swarm  nor  increase  them 
excessively,  for  it  is  unwise  and  imprudent  to  do  it  for  pleasure  or  money; 
for  we  should  be  satisfied  with  a  reasonable  amount  of  increase.  In  most 
sections  in  the  South  we  have  light  honey-flows  during  .the  season,  and  in  some 
sections  the  main  flow  comes  in  early  spring,  and  other  sections  during 
summer;  and  it  comes  during  fall  in  some  sections.  We  should  not  let  our 
artificial  increase  interfere  with  the  main  honey-flow  any  more  than  possible ; 
and  if  it  comes  in  early  spring,  make  the  increase  after  the  flow,  for  there 
will  be  light  honey-flows  to  follow,  and  if  it  comes  in  summer  or  fall,  make 
the  desired  increase  as  early  in  the  spring  as  possible. 

If  the  main  honey-flow  comes  in  spring,  keep  all  the  bees  together  and 
save  as  much  honey  as  possible ;  and  as  soon  as  you  get  it  on  the  market, 
turn  your  attention  to  the  increase  by  first  preparing  an  extra  hive  for  each 
strong  colony,  using  full  sheets  of  foundation  in  brood- frames ;    or  if  you 


S6  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

are  running  for  extracted  honey  you  can  use  the  ready-built  combs  in  the  top 
stories,  and  have  another  set  built  next  season.  The  prepared  hives  should  be 
set  on  top  of  the  strong  colonies,  or  the  ones  you  desire  to  divide,  as  soon  as 
they  are  completed;  for  you  might  have  an  unexpected  honey-flow  and 
they  would  start  to  work  drawing  out  the  foundation.  There  is  apt  to  be 
enough  honey  coming  in  to  start  the  strongest  colonies  at  this  work  any  way. 

After  this  has  been  done,  turn  your  attention  to  queen-rearing;  and  by 
the  time  the  summer  honey-flow  from  cotton,  sumac,  and  other  summer 
honey-plants  is  coming  to  a  close,  have  a  batch  of  young  prolific  queens  laying, 
or  one  for  each  increase  you  wish  to  make,  and  a  few  extra  ones.  Of  course, 
the  queens  are  raised  during  the  long  slow  honey-flow,  and  should  be  as 
good  as  can  be  raised ;  and  during  this  flow  the  strong  colonies  will  be  build- 
ing a  set  of  combs  in  these  extra  top  stories  and  filling  them  with  honey, 
which  is  generally  of  a  poor  grade,  and  to  turn  it  into  bees  is  the  best  thing 
that  can  be  done  with  it. 

At  the  close  of  the  flow,  when  there  is  yet  a  little  honey  coming  in, 
remove  the  top  stories  and  set  them  on  the  bottom  beside  the  same  hive,  and 
divide  the  comb,  brood,  old  bees,  and  honey  up  between  them,  and  give  the 
colony  which  has  no  queen  one  of  the  young  laying  queens  you  have  raised 
for  this  purpose,  giving  her  to  the  bees  in  a  cage,  and  letting  them  release  her. 
Do  not  molest  the  bees  any  more  for  three  days;  then  go  through  them 
again,  and  if  the  old  bees  are  not  equally  divided  up  give  the  weakest  colony 
the  most  of  the  brood  from  the  stronger  colony,  or  change  the  hives;  and  if 
any  of  them  have  not  accepted  their  queen  give  them  another  one  of  the 
extra  ones  you  had  on  hand.  In  a  few  days  more  make  an  inspecting- 
tour  again  and  see  that  all  have  queens.  Examine  them  later;  and,  if  any 
of  them  are  short  of  bees,  give  them  another  frame  of  brood  or  change  the 
hives  again.  During  this  time  there  is  a  slow  honey-flow  on  from  fall 
flowers,  and  bees  will  not  consume  much  honey,  but  will  go  into  winter 
quarters  in  good  condition.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  bees  will  store 
more  honey  when  they  are  kept  together  than  when  they  are  divided ;  so  it  is 
best  to  leave  them  together  until  at  the  close  of  the  flow  in  order  that  they 
may  have  as  much"  honey  as  possible  when  they  are  put  up  for  winter. 

The  same  results  can  be  obtained  in  localities  where  the  main  honey- 
flow  comes  during  summer  and  fall  by  starting  early  in  the  spring  to  raising 
a  batch  of  queens  and  having  a  set  of  combs  built  over  each  strong  colony 
during  the  flow  which  will  come  along  some  time  in  the  spring;  then  you  will 
have  time  to  get  the  bees  in  a  good  condition  for  the  approaching  summer  or 
fall  flow. 

Of  course,  if  the  apiary  is  operated  for  extracted  honey  you  have  the 
advantage  of  having  the  combs  ready  built. 

I  have  torn  up  many  colonies  of  bees  in  various  ways  and  at  different 
times  of  the  season,  and  fed  many  pounds  of  sugar ;  and  I  have  fallen  upon 
the  method  I  have  outlined,  and  I  make  a  lot  of  valuable  increase  in  this 
way  each  year. 

Strong  colonies  should  not  be  divided  more  than  once,  and  the  weak  ones 
not  at  all,  for  they  are  already  struggling. 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  57 

CONTROLLING  SWARMING. 

It  is  very  often  the  case  that  a  bee-keeper  has  as  many  colonies  as  he 
desires  or  has  time  to  care  for  properly,  and  desires  a  plan  to  control  the 
increase  of  colonies.  Then  it  happens  very  often  that  a  bee-keeper  desires 
to  control  swarming  that  he  may  obtain  more  surplus  honey ;  and  it  is  often 
desired  to  control  swarming  in  extensive  bee-keeping  to  save  the  expense 
of  hiring  some  one  to  stay  at  each  yard  and  hive  swarms  during  the  swarm- 
ing season.  It  is  not  difficult  to  control  swarming  in  the  production  of 
extracted  honey,  and  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  keep  them  supplied  with 
empty  comb  to  store  honey  in. 

It  is  also  easy  to  control  swarming  in  the  production  of  chunk  honey  by 
using  full  sheets  of  foundation  in  the  supers,  and  not  permitting  the  super 
next  to  the  brood  apartment  to  be  completely  filled  before  it  is  lifted  up 
and  another  empty  super  put  under  it ;  for  they  will  sometimes  swarm  if  the 
super  next  to  the  brood-apartment  is  full  of  sealed  honey  before  they  will 
enter  the  next  super,  or  before  they  do  much  work  in  it;  and  it  is  necessary 
to  keep  the  hives  well  ventilated  at  the  bottom  during  warm  spells. 

In  the  production  of  comb  honey  in  sections  with  the  brown  German 
bees,  the  non-swarming  point  can  soon  be  reached  by  raising  queens  from 
colonies  less  inclined  to  swarm,  and  keeping  the  stock  pure.  They  are  less 
prolific,  quick  to  enter  sections  and  store  their  honey,  and  all  that  is  neces- 
sary is  to  keep  the  hives  well  ventilated  during  very  warm  weather,  and  use 
full  sheets  of  foundation  in  the  sections ;  and  four  or  five  bait  sections  (sec- 
tions with  comb  partly  built  in  them,  or  cull  sections  from  last  season)  in  the 
middle  of  the  super  next  to  the  brood-apartment  in  order  to  get  them 
started  to  building  comb  and  storing  honey  in  it. 

Permit  me  to  say  right  here  that,  to  control  swarming  successfully,  we 
must  first  remove  the  drone  comb  from  out-apiaries  and  replace  it  with 
worker  comb.  Drones  are  reared  with  the  view  of  swarming,  and  certainly 
they  are  connected  with  it  in  some  way.  The  greatest  number  of  them  are 
always  present  during  swarming  time,  and  more  or  less  drone  brood  is  in 
the  hive  when  they  do  swarm.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  they  take  a  great  part 
in  swarming,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  have  sfimething  to  da 
wilh  it. 

Controlling  swarming  in  the  production  of  comb  honey  in  sections,  with 
the  more  prolific  varieties  of  bees,  is  a  rather  knotty  problem,  and  a  satis- 
factory method  of  doing  this  has  not  yet  been  given  to  the  bee-keeping  world 
so  far  as  I  know.  I  have  tried  time  and  again  almost  every  conceivable 
way  by  which  this  might  be  done,  and  yet  sooner  or  later  all  methods  of  work 
would  fail,  even  when  all  conditions  seemed  favorable. 

But  swarming  of  very  prolific  varieties  of  bees  can  be  greatly  reduced  by 
treating  them  as  you  would  the  brown  German  bees  to  control  their  swarming 
by  removing  the  drone  comb,  by  ventilating,  and  giving  them  the  greatest 
inducement  possible  to  enter  the  sections  or  supers.  Bees  usually  start  queen- 
cclls  before^  they  swarm ;  and  by  going  over  the  apiaries  every  four  or  six 
days,  tearing  out  the  queen-cells   swarming  may  be   delayed   until  they  can 


58  SOUTHERN  JBEE  CULTURE 

start  cells  again ;  and  by  constantly  doing  this  they  will  often  give  up  the 
notion  of  swarming  and  take  to  the  field  to  gather  honey.  But  in  going 
through  the  hives  the  supers  should  be  removed  gently,  and  no  more  smoke 
used  than  possible,  and  the  covers  not  removed  at  all,  so  as  not  to  disturb 
the  bees  in  them  any  more  than  possible.  Sometimes  bees  will  swarm  with- 
out starting  queen-cells,  leaving  this  for  the  remaining  bees  to  do;  so  we 
have  greatly  reduced  swarming,  but  not  controlled' it ;  and  if  it  is  not  reduced 
enough,  clip  about  a  third  of  one  of  the  queen's  wings  oflf,  so  she  can  not  fly 
out  with  the  swarm,  and  it  will  return;  but  the  queen  may  be  lost  unless  it 
is  very  convenient  for  her  to  crawl  back  up  into  the  hive;  then  if  she  does, 
after  the  swarm  comes  out  two  or  three  times  it  will  return  and  may  ball 
her  to  death  because  she  did  not  go  out  with  it. 

Now,  this  nearly  controls  swarming ;  but  sometimes  they  will  wait  a  few 
days  until  a  young  queen  hatches  in  the  hive,  and  then  comes  out  with  her,  for 
her  wings  must  not  be  clipped  until  she  has  taken  her  wedding-trip,  during 
which  she  is  mated. 

Clipping  queens'  wings  to  control  swarming  is  a  bad  practice  unless  all 
other  means  possible  to  control  it  fail,  for  often  a  swarm  will  remain  clus- 
tered out  for  some  time  before  it  returns,  and  other  swarms  may  issue  and 
join  them,  and  all  return  to  one  hive  and  give  no  little  trouble;  or  a  strolling 
queen  about  the  apiary  may  join  them,  and  all  take  to  parts  unknown,  and 
thereby  a  great  loss  is  sustained  by  the  bee-keeper. 


THE  PRODUCTION  OF  COMB  OR  SECTION  HONEY. 

The  production  of  comb  honey  in  sections  is  the  most  common  way  of 
securing  honey  here  in  the  South  in  modern  hives.  This  is  the  most  tedious 
way  of  saving  honey.  It  involves  more  work  and  thought  on  the  part  of  the 
bee-keeper,  ancf  also  the  bees,  for  it  requires  no  little  work  and  inducement 
to  get  the  bees  to  storing  honey  in  the  sections,  and  then  it  is  tedious  work 
for  them  to  manufacture  the  little  delicate  blocks  of  honey. 

In  order  to  get  the  best  results,  colonies  must  be  as  strong  as  possible, 
or  brought  up  to  the  honey-flow ;  then  the  queen  should  be  occupying  all  the 
comb  in  the  brood-apartment,  or  the  comb  full  of  young  bees  in  all  stage? 
of  development.  There  being  no  room  below,  the  bees  will  carry  the  sur- 
plus honey  above  and  store  it  in  the  sections.  The  supers  (top  stories)  should 
be  prepared  as  well  as  possible  so  as  to  help  the  bees.  Each  section  should 
be  filled  with  surplus  foundation,  and  well  attached  to  it,  for  this  is  a  help 
to  them,  and  a  great  inducement;  while  the  little  narrow  starter  attached 
to  the  top  of  the  section  is  not  much  of  either.  L  know  that  the  narrow  starter 
IS  most  commonly  used,  but  it  is  poor  economy  in  bee-keeping.  Two  supers 
should  thus  be  prepared   for  each   colony   during  the   winter;   then  in  the 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  59 

spring,  when  poplar-trees  or  your  first  honey-plants  begin  to  bloom,  put  on 
one  super;  but  if  it  is  a  very  warm  spring,  and  bees  begin  to  lie  out  on  the 
outside  for  lack  of  room  put  on  one  super  about  two  weeks  previous  to  the 
bloom'ing  of  the  first  honey-plants,  for  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  get  in  the 
habit  of  lying  around  on  the  outside.  When  the  honey-plant  is  in  its  height 
of  blooming,  raise  the  cover  on  the  strongest  colonies  and  see  what  progress 
has  been  made ;  and  take  that,  the  force  of  the  colony,  the  weather  conditions, 
and  honey-plants  under  consideration ;  and  if  these  seem  favorable,  give  them 
another  super  on  top ;  if  not,  examine  them  again  in  three  or  four  days,  and 
add  a  super  if  things  look  favorable.  If,  during  this  time,  the  weather  is  very 
warm  and  the  temperature  in  the  hives  seems  to  be  very  high,  raise  them  up 
and  put  a  piece  of  section  under  each  corner.  Watch  the  progress  of  the 
bees  closely ;  and  if  they  need  more  sections  give  them  more ;  but  don't  disturb 
them  any  more  than  you  can  help,  for  it  hinders  them  in  their  work.  If  time 
permits,  remove  the  supers  which  have  all  the  sections  well  filled  and  capped 
over.  At  the  close  of  the  flow,  when  the  bees  begin  to  cap  the  unfinished 
sections,  remove  all  supers  as  soon  as  possible  so  as  not  to  give  the  bees 
time  to  cap  them,  and  they  will  be  in  the  best  condition  for  them  to  finish 
during  the  next  flow ;  but-  if  they  are  capped  over  they  are  spoiled  for  their 
purpose  unless  they  are  uncapped. 

All  sections  should  be  removed  from  the  supers,  and  scraped  until  they 
look  as  nearly  like  new  ones  as  you  can  get  them ;  then  the  marketable  ones 
should  be  packed  in  standard  shipping  cases  (for  if  they  should  get  mashed 
up  on  the  railroad  you  could  get  damages;  otherwise  you  could  not),  and 
put  on  the  market,  and  the  unfinished  ones  should  be  packed  away  for  the 
next  flow.  If  the' flow  which  is  to  follow  is  usually  heavy,  use  the  unfinished 
section  as  baits  in  the  supers  of  .sections,  dividing  them  equally.  If  the 
flow  is  usually  light,  just  let  the  bees  finish  them,  giving  them  to  the 
strongest  colonies.    , 

At  the  end  of  the  last  flow  all  supers  should  be  removed  and  treated  as 
you  did  those  at  the  previous  flow ;  then  should  you  have  unfinished  sections, 
extract  the  honey  from  them  or  leave  them  in  supers  and  set  them  out  and 
let  the  bees  remove  the  honey ;  but  should  they  begin  to  tear  down  the  comb, 
stack  them  up  and  leave  an  opening  so  only  a  few  bees  can  pass  at  a  time, 
and  save  the  sections  thus  cleared  of  honey  for  baits  next  spring,  to  be  used 
in  the  supers  given  to  the  bees. 


THE  PRODUCTION  OF  CHUNK  HONEY. 
In  operating  an  apiary  for  chunk  honey  the  bees  should  be  built  up  to  the 
highest  possible  honey-gathering  condition  just  as  we  would  expect  to  have 
them  in  producing  comb  honey  in  sections,  then  supers  containing  shallow 
frames  of  the  same  dimensions  as  those  used  in  the  brood-department,  only 
about. half  as  deep,  and  their  top-bar  thin.     These  shallow  frames  should  be 


6o  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

filled  well  with  ligHt  brood  or  thin  surplus  foundation,  and  attached  well  to 
the  top-bar  with  melted  wax.  Two  or  three  of  these  shallow  supers  (accord- 
ing to  the  surplus-honey  flow  in  your  location)  should  be  thus  prepared  for 
each  colony,  and  one  given  the  bees  a  few  days  in  advance  of  the  honey-flow 
with  a  queen-excluding  honey-board  between  it  and  the  brood-nest,  or  the 
queen  might  enter  the  supers  and  deposit  eggs  in  some  of  the  combs  as  they 
are  being  built,  and  establish  a  portion  of  her  brood-nest  there,  and  thus  spoil 
the  appearance  of  the  comb. 

As  soon  as  work  is  under  full  headway  in  the  first  super,  give  them 
another  super  on  top;  then  by  the  time  the  bees  get  to  storing  it  in  well,  the 
bottom  super  should  be  full  and  the  honey  capped  over,  which  can  then  be 
removed;  and,  if  the  flow  justifies,  give  them  another  super  and  remove  the 
second  super  of  honey.  At  the  close  of  the  flow  leave  the  •  remaining  un- 
finished honey  on  the  hives  until  it  is  capped  over  well ;  then  remove  all  and 
cut  it  out  of  the  frames  and  put  it  up  in  glass  jars  or  cans  in  as  large  pieces 
as  possible;  then  pour  in  enough  strained  or  extracted  honey  to  cover  all  the 
comb,  filling  up  the  jars  and  cans.  Pack  the  jars  up  well  in  straw,  sawdust, 
or  shavings,  and  put  it  on  the  market.  Chunk  honey  put  up  in  jars  and  cans, 
nicely  labeled,  makes  an  attractive  package,  and  should  bring  a  good  pi  ice 
on  any  market.  I  have  been  able  to  sell  more  of  this  honey  to  the  retail 
trade  than  either  comb  or  extracted  honey. 

All  frames  should  be  cleaned  up,  and  those  from  which  honey  had  been 
removed  should  be  refilled  with  foundation  and  put  back  in  supers  in  readiness 
for  the  next  flow ;  then  operate  as  for  the  previous  flow.  At  the  end  of  the 
season  take  oflF  all  supers  and  remove  the  honey;  then  during  the  winter 
get  them  in  shape  to  give  the  bees  next  spring. 

This  is  an  easy,  simple,  and  cheap  way  to  produce  honey,  and  at  the 
same  time  it  brings  a  good  price ;  and  those  intending  to  begin  bee-keeping 
should  give  it  consideration. 


THE   PRODUCTION   OF  EXTRACTED   HONEY. 

An  apiary  operated  for  extracted  honey  should  be  equipped  with  two  full- 
story  hives,  each  story  containing  frames  of  the  same  dimensions  so  they 
can  be  changed  from  one  story  to  another,  if  necessary;  and  both  sets  of 
frames  should  be  well  wired,  and  a  full  sheet  of  foundation  in  each  frame. 
If  the  apiary  was  previously  operated  for  chunk  or  comb  section  honey,  and 
the  frames  unwired,  put  the  extracting  top  story  on  top  of  it;  and  if  it  be 
necessary  ever  to  have  to  use  the  unwired  frames  in  the  bottom  story,  the 
comb,  being  old  and  tough,  will  stand  the  strain  of  the  extractor;  but  hive 
all  new  swarms  in  one  of  the  prepared  stories ;  and  as  soon  as  the  bees  have 
nearly  completed  this  set  of  combs,  give  them  the  other  story.  By  not  adding 
this  top  story  as  soon  as  hived  you  have  contracted  space  and  thus  helped 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  6i 

them  in  the  work;  and,  besides,  they  now  have  the  brood-nest  established  in 
the  bottom  story;  and  if  the  honey-flow  is  still  on  th«y  will  soon  enter  the 
top  one  and  build  a  set  of  combs  there  and  store  their  surplus  honey  up  there 
so  it  can  be  easily  removed. 

In  order  to  get  the  best  results  during  the  honey-flow,  the  bees  must  be 
prepared  for  it  as  for  section  and  chunk  honey,"  having  as  large  a  field  force 
as  possible  at  the  beginning  of  the  honey-flow,  and  at  once  they  will  com- 
mence storing  their  surplus  honey  in  the  top  story.  If  time  permits,  as  soon  as 
the  comb  is  well  filled,  and  the  honey  about  capped,  start  the  extractor ;  if  not, 
defer  the  extracting  until  the  close  of  the  honey-flow ;  but  see  that  the  bees 
have  plenty  of  room  by  changing  full  frames  of  honey  from  the  colonies  that 
have  advanced  for  empty  comb  from  those  that  are  behind  or  store  them 
in  the  honey-house  and  give  the  bees  frames  of  foundation,  or  add  another 
story  on  top.  If  honey  is  extracted  during  the  flow,  the  empty  frames  can 
be  immediately  returned  to  the  hives ;  but  if  extracting  is  done  at  the  end  of 
the  flow,  or  during  a  honey-dearth,  the  combs  should  be  returned  to  the  bees 
late  in  the  evening  unless  the  apiary  is  very  small;  then  it  would  not 
matter  when  they  were  returned,  and  it  could  better  be  done  along  as  the 
honey  was  extracted  from  them. 

It  is  customary  to  return  the  combs  to  the  bees  when  the  honey  has  been 
extracted  from  them,  and  left  in  the  care  of  the  bees  during  sxmimer  and 
winter. 

It  is  often  necessary  to  remove  an  extracting-story  on  account  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  colony,  and  set  it  on  top  of  some  strong  one,  and  set  it  back  as 
soon  as  constant  attention  is  not  required. 

Extracted  honey  should  be  put  in  tanks  or  open-top  barrels,  and  allowed 
to  remain  thus  for  a  day  or  two,  and  thus  give  all  impurities  a  chance  to  rise 
to  the  surface  and  be  removed ;  then  it  should  be  drawn  out  from  the  bottom 
into  two-pound  cans,  quart,  half-gallon,  gallon,  and  five-gallon  cans,  kegs,  or 
barrels,  and  put  on  the  market. 

The  production  of  extracted  honey  is  the  least  difficult  and  the  most 
profitable  and  satisfactory  way  to  produce  honey  here  in  the  South.  It  costs 
mor?  to  equip  an  apiary  for  extracted  honey  than  it  does  for  either  section 
or  chunk  honey ;  but  when  once  equipped  this  expense  is  over. 


APIARIAN  APPLIANCES. 

Aside  from  the  invention  of  the  movable  frame  or  modem  hives  there 
have  been  useful  and  necessary  implements  invented  from  time  to  time  to  be 
be  used  in  modern  bee-keeping  to  make  it  a  more  profitablej  interesting,  and 
comfortable  pursuit ;  and  every  apiary  should  be  equipped  with  some  of  them, 
as  they  are  so  necessary  and  cheap ;  but  what  we  need  in  the  way  of  imple- 
ments depends  on  what  we  are  operating  our  bees  for — chunk,  combv  or  ex- 


Dadant's  I'ncappinv;  Can. 


rncnp[)iiic:  Honey-kiiife. 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE  63 

tracted;  but  a  good  bee-veil  and  bee-smoker  are  as  necessary  in  any  kind  of 
bee-keeping  as  a  hammer  and  saw  are  in  carpentry. 

We  will  first  describe  the  honey-extractors  and  the  advantage  of  their 
use  in  the  apiary.  By  .the  use  of  the  extractor  the  apiarist  can,  to  a  great 
extent,  control  the  swarming  of  his  bees  by  extracting  the  honey  from  the 
comb  and  setting  it  back  in  the  hive  for  the  bees  to  refill  and  thereby  save 
over  one-third  more  honey  each  year.  If  it  is  desired  to  operate  an  apiary 
for  extracted  honey  it  would  depend  on  the  size  of  it  as  to  what  size  of 
extractor  to  buy  for  it.  It  if  is  not  to  consist  of  more  than  25  or  30  colonies 
the  No.  5,  or  Novice  extractor  would  be  large  enough.  If  the  apiary  were 
to  consist  of  40,  50,  or  75  colonies.  No.  15,  or  the  rapid  honey-extractor  would 
be  best,  because  mote  honey  could  be  extracted  in  the  same  length  of  time. 
If  several  'out-apiaries  were  operated  for  extracted  honey,  a  still  larger  size 
of  extractor  would  be  necessary— No.  25  or  improved  extractor — in  order 
to  extract  the  honey  rapidly  should  the  bees  be  crowded  or  need  empty  combs. 

If  the  apiary  is  small,  and  there  is  not  much  honey  to  extract,  erect  at  a 
convenient  place  in  the  honey-house  a  small  platform  about  2x3  feet,  and 
high  enough  from  the  floor  so  that  a  bucket  will  go  under  the  honey-gate  of 
the  extractor  in  which  the  honey  is  to  be  drawn.  Anchor  the  extractor  on  this 
platform  so  that  the  honey-gate  will  be  on  one  side  and  the  anchors  run  out 
toward  the  ends  or  three-foot  way.  Now  anchor  it  down  to  the  platform  well 
so  it  will  not  rock  about  when  frames  of  honey  of  uneven  weight  are  being 
extracted.  If  the  apiary  is  large,  and  much  honey  is  expected  to  be  extracted, 
arrange  the  platform  as  conveniently  to  the  door  or  small  gate  through  which 
the  h6ney  is  passed  as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  have  it  as  convenient  to 
the  uncappers  as  possible,  so  that  the  handling  of  honey  will  not  be  any  more 
laborious  than  possible. 

UNCAPPING-VESSELS. 

Uncapping-vessels  of  some  kind  should  be  fixed  up  to  'receive  the  cap- 
pings*  as  they  are  cut  itom  the  comb,  and  also  the  honey  which  may  be  re- 
moved with  them.  If  it  is  not  desired  to  buy  a  tank  made  for  the  purpose  a 
cheap  one  can  be  made  out  of  a  tub,  barrel,  or  box  having  a  wire-gauze 
strainer  somewhere  sufficiently  attached  to  it  to  catch  the  cappings  and  let 
them  drain  and  also  have  a  bottom  to  catch  the  honey;  and  whatever  is 
bought  or  constructed  to  catch  cappings  should  be  large  enough  so  at  least 
two  can  work  at  it  at  a  time. 

COMB-BUCKETS. 

Nothing  is  more  convenient  than  comb-buckets  in  which  the  frames  of 
honey  can  be  set  as  they  are  removed  from  the  hives;  and  when  filled  the 
lids  can  be  fastened  down  and  the  honey  in  them  will  be  unmolested  by  rob- 
bers, and  easily  carried  into   the  honey-house. 

HONEY-KNIVES. 

Honey-knives  are  indispensable  for  uncapping  honey,  for  no  other  knives 
can  be  used  successfully  for  that  purpose.  The  honey-extractor  throws  the 
honey  out  of  the  comb  by  revolving,  and  it  is  very  necessary  that  all  the 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  65 

-cells  of  honey  be  uncapped  or  the  extractor  will  not  remove  it;  and  it  is  by 
no  means  a  quick  and  easy  job  to  uncap  heavy  tender  combs  of  honey  without 
damaging  them. 

HONEY-BOARDS. 

Honey-boards  are  used  to  confine  queens  to  certain  parts  of  hives,  and 
will  allow  the  worker  bees  to  pass  through  it  to  any  part  of  the  hive.  In 
the  production  of  extracted  honey,  queens  will  sometimes  enter  the  extracting- 
apartment  of  the  hive  and  establish  her  brood-nest  for  a  short  time  at 
least,  because  she  has  not  room  in  her  apartment  to  deposit  her  eggs.  The 
young  bees  that  are  not  capped  over  in  the  cells  will  be  thrown  out  with  the 
extractor  into  the  honey  if  it  is  not  run  very  slowly;  therefore  they  are  a 
hindrance  in  extracting.  If  honey-boards  are  used  between  the  brodd-apart- 
mcnt  and  extracting  -apartment  the  queens  can  not  enter  them- and  their  hin- 
drance is  overcome.  I  do  consider  this  hindrance  much  to  me,  and  do  not 
use  them  now,  although  I  have  used  them,  and  there  are  many  bee-keepers 
who  do  not.  But  they  are  indispensable  in  the  production  of  a  nice  article  of 
chunk  honey,  and  should  by  all  means  be  used. 

SPUR  WIRE-IMBEDDERS. 

Where  full  sheets  of  foundation  are  used  in  the  brood-apartment  and 
the  extracting-supers  or  top  stories,  the  frames  should  be  wired  and  the 
wire  imbedded  well  into  the  foundation  with  this  implement. 

WAX-TUBE    FOUNDATION-FASTENERS. 

In  fastening  foundation  in  shallow  frames,  or  frames  which  do  not  have 
the  advantage  of  fastening  it  to  the  top-bar  by  means  of  wedges,  and  also  iq 
fastening  full  sheets  of  it  in  sections,  this  tool  is  nearly  indispensable. 

FOUNDATION-FASTENER. 

These  machines  are  indispensable  in  the  production  of  comb  honey,  and  it 
is  very  necessary  that  the  foundation  be  well  fastened  at  the  proper  place  to 
the  sections,  which  they  will  do.  Aside  from  the  best  improved  implements 
for  this  work  there  is  a  simple  cheap  one  called  the  Parker  foundation-fas- 
tener which  is  used  by  bee-keepers  who  keep  only  a  few  colonies  of  bees.  To 
do  the  best  work  with  this  implement  it  should  not  be  used  in  cold  weather 
while  the  foundation  is  brittle  unless  it  is  placed  in  the  sunshine  for  a  few 
minutes  or  heated  up  before  it  is  used.  Then  to  operate,  put  a  section  in  place 
on  the  bottom  part,  and  then  push  the  lever  over  on.  it  so  that  the  end  of  it 
will  admit  of  the  foundation  being  pushed  between  it  and  the  section,  under 
about  %  inch ;  then  raise  the  lever  up  and  it  will  pinch  the  foundation  to  the 
section  and  thus  fasten  it.  Keep  the  wax  removed  from  the  lever  and  it  will 
do  satisfactory  work.    The  other  foundation-fasteners  are  easy  to  operate. 

SECTION    PRESS   AND  FORMER. 

In  order  to  stand  handling,  and  to  fit  well  in  the  supers,  sections  should 
be  well  put  together  and  be  square.  These  implements  are  for  this  purpose ; 
and,  besides,  by  using  them  thefe  will  not  be  so  many  sections  broken  up. 


Alley's  Drone  and  Queen  Trap. 


Entrance  Guard. 


Doolittle  Solar  Extractor. 


mi  ^r' 


^v»i^ 


Bee-smoker. 


Porter  Bee-efcape. 


Tulle  Bee-veils. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  67 


BEE-ENTRANCE    GUARDS    AND    DRONE-TRAPS. 

These  implements  are  to  be  used  over  the  entrances  of  hives  when  the 
apiarist  is  away  from  his  bees  during  swarming-time.  The  queens  can  not  go 
out  through  them  should  the  bees  swarm,  and  the  swarm  will  return ;  and  they 
are  good  to  confine  inferior  drones  to  their  hives  while  the  queens  are  being 
mated. 

WAX-EXTRACTORS. 

Saving  wax  is  no  small  item  in  bee-keeping,  and  every  particle  of  comb 
should  be  saved  and  rendered  into  wax.  The  most  convenient  wax-extractor 
is  the  solar,  which  should  be  set  in  the  middle  of  the  apiary  where  all  the 
scrapings  from  the  interior  of  the  hives  and  the  pieces  of  comb  can  be  easily 
dropped  into  it,  when  the  heat  of  the  sun  will  melt  them  up.  One  of  these 
extractors  will  render  up  all  the  comb  in  a  small  apiary.  Where  the  apiary 
is  large,  and  much  comb  is  to  be  rendered  into  wax,  the  solar  cannot  do 
all  the  work.  Then  a  wax-press  is  necessary  to  render  up  the  bulk  o£  the 
comb.  These  presses  are  simple,  and  easy  to  operate,  and  do  away  with  the 
sticky  and  mussy  work  we  had  in  the  old-style  way  of  making  beeswax; 
and,  besides,  all  the  wax  is  saved. 


In  the  production  of  comb  honey  it  is  no  small  job  to  clear  the  supers  of 
honey  or  bees,  for  it  requires  time  to  smoke  them  down  out  of  the  supers; 
and  the  whole  hive- is  molested;  and  to  shake  the  bees  out  is  laborious. 
^\  nen  the  supers  of  honey  are  ready  to  be  removed,  set  them  on  top  of  those 
that  are  not  ready  to  be  removed,  and  slip  the  board  with  the  bee-escape  under 
it,  and  one  by  one  the  bees  will  march  out  of  it. 

BEE-SMOKERS. 

There  is  no  implement  in  the  apiary  more  handy  than  the  bee-smoker; 
and  every  one  who  has  only  one  colony  of  bees  should  by  all  means  have, 
one.  I  have  seen  people  blow  smoke  among  bees  with  their  breath,  to  con- 
quer them,  from  a  bundle  of  burning  rags,  until  they  would  exhaust  them- 
selves and  be  sick  from  being  strangled  on  the  smoke,  and  it  has  been 
attributed  to  the  honey  they  ate. 

BEE-VEILS- 

Bee-veils  are  next  to  smokers  in  usefulness,  and  no  one  should  keep 
bees  without  them  or  go  among  the  bees  to  do  any  work  without  one  on, 
for  they  will  save  many  painful  stings,  and,  to  a  great  extent,  remove  the 
fear  of  bees.  A  few  of  them  should  be  kept  on  hand  to  put  on  our  in- 
terested bee-keeping  friends  when  they  come  to  see  us  handle  bees. 


Bee-gloves  are  a  great  protection  to  the  hands  while  handling  bees. 
Timid  bee-keepers  very  often  receive  painful  stings  about  the  hands,  and  es- 
pecially.  about  the  wrist  around  the  bottom  of  the  sleeves,  where  it  seems 


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SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  69 


bees  love  so  much  to  deposit  theif  stings.    This  can  all  be  avoided  by  wear- 
ing a  pair  of  gloves  while  handling  bees. 


b:ee-brusbes. 

Tn  the  production  of  extracted  or  chunk  honey,  bee-brushes  are  very 
necessary  to  sweep  the  bees  off  the  comb,  and  very  often  it  is  better  to  brush 
bees  from  an  object  than  to  smoke  or  jar  them  from  it. 

SWARM-CATCHERS. 

When  bees  are  allowed  to  swarm  nattjrally,  very  often  they  will  settle 
high  up  on  the  trunks  of  trees  or  away  out  on  Hmbs  and  it  is  no  small  task 
to  remove  them  from  such  inconvenient  places  to  hive  them ;  and  many  times 
they  are  not  removed  at  all,  but  allowed  to  go  to  the  woods. 

Many  large  vigorous  swarms  have  been  lost  in  this  way  which  could  have 
been  easily,  quickly,  and  safely  removed  from  their  settling-place  and  saved. 
No  apiary  where  bees  are  allowed  to  swarm  naturally  should  be  without  one ; 
and  even  where  they  are  settled  low  or  conveniently,  nothing  is  better  to 
remove  them  with. 


No  one  but  those  who  have  used  a  bee-tent  knows  how  useful  they  are 
about  the  apiary.  Should  a  comb  melt  down  in  a  hive,  robbers  take  to  one, 
or  an  accident  happens,  nothing  could  be  done  better  than  to  set  a  tent  over 
them.  Very  often  it  is  handy  to  set  over  honey  or  to  feed  about  the  apiary; 
and  it  is  often  used  to  set  over  a  colony  to  do  certain  work. 

QUEEN-CELL   PROTECTORS. 

In  every  apiary  where  queen-rearing  is  practiced  or  requeening  done, 
queen-cell  protectors  are  indispensable.  They  are  to  protect  the  queen-cells 
after  they  have  been  removed  from  the  comb,  and  distributed  over  the  apiary 
until  the  young  queens  emerge  from  them.  By  the  use  of  these,  any  bee- 
keeper can  keep  his  stock  of  bees  from  running  down  after  good  blood  has 
been  introduced  into  his  apiary.  Or  by  the  use  of  them  he  can  introduce  good 
blood  into  all  colonies  from  one  good  breeding  queen. 

BEE-FEEDERS. 

In  every  apiary  some  colony  needs  feeding  at  certain  times;  and  if  not 
done  with  great  care  robbing  will  set  in,  and  the  result  will  be  that  some 
colonies  will  be  eaten  out  by  robbing  bees,  and  be  lost.  By  the  use  of  these 
feeders  any  colony  in  the  apiary  can  be  fed  syrup  until  the  bees  have  stored 
as  much  as  they  need,  without  starting  robbing.  A  few  feeders  (according 
to  the  size  of  the  ajpiary)  should  be  included  in  each  order  for  bee-supplies. 

I  have  now  given  a  list  of  the  leading  implements  used  in  modern  bee- 
keeping, and  their  usage ;  and  every  well-regulated  apiary  should  be  supplied 
with  them,  for  they  go  to  make  up  modern  bee-keeping,  and  are  great  labor- 
saving  devices.    The  prices  of  many  of  them  are  insignificant,  and  that  is  true 


TO  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

of  all  of  them  as  compared  with  their  usefulness  in  bee-keeping.  The  major- 
ity of  them  are  indispensable  in  modern  apiculture,  and  apiarian  implements 
should  be  considered  before  placing  orders  for  bee-supplies;  and  some  of 
them  (depending  on  what  you  are  operating  your  bees  for)  should  be  in- 
cluded in  orders. 


HONEY. 


Honey  is  the  sweet  sap  of  certain  plants  called  honey-plants,  which  have 
nectar-glands  to  convey  this  sweet  sap  into  their  blossoms,  buds,  tender  joints, 
etc.,  where  the  bees  or  nectar-loving  insects  can  reach  it.  At  the  extremity 
of  these  glands  the  sweet  sap  may  ooze  out  and  stand  in  a  ring  around  the  tiny 
berry  or  fruit,  as  it  may  be,  in  small  drops  about  the  blossoms  and  tender 
growing  parts  of  the  plant.  Honey-bees  remove  this  sweet  sap,  or  nectar,  as  it  is 
most  commonly  called,  with  their  long  delicate  little  tongues,  which  work  in  a 
folded  tube.  If  you  will  give  a  bee  a  drop  of  honey  it  will  show  you  its 
tongue  better  than  I  can  explain  it;  but  it  will  be  seen  that  the  tongue  will 
work  out  at  the  end  of  the  folded  tube,  and  feed  about  in  the  honey,  and 
soon  the  drop  of  honey  will  disappear  if  it  is  a  small  one,  and  be  nicely 
cleaned  up.  In  like  manner  it  removes  the  nectar  from  plants;  and  as  it 
is  Ifcked  up  it  goes  from  the  tongue  through  the  folded  tube  into  another 
tube  which  conveys  it  through  the  waist  of  the  bee  into  the  honey-sac,  which 
is  located  in  the  front  part  of  the  bee's  abdomen.  This  sac  or  honey-stomach 
holds  only  a  small  drop  of  nectar ;  and  when  it  is  full  the  bee  will  rise  in  a 
circulating  manner  and  soon  disappear  toward  its  hive.  But  when  honey  is 
first  gathered  it  is  very  thin  sweet  water,  and  has  an  "unpleasant  sappy  taste ; 
but  from  the  time  it  is  removed  from  the  honey-plant  it  is  undergoing  an 
evaporating  or  ripening  process.  As  soon  as  the  nectar-laden  bee  reaches  its 
hive  it  goes  up  on  the  comb  among  its  busy  sisters  and  there  deposits  its  load 
of  nectar  into  a  cell  by  belching  it  out  of  its  honey-sac,  or  it  may  give  its  load 
to  some  attending  bee  if  there  happens  to  be  one  present,  and  this  second 
bee  will  deposit  it  in  a  cell.  If  this  is  among  its  first  loads  of  honey  from  the 
field  it  is  apt  to  act  in  a  frisky  manner,  shaking  itself  about  as,  it  crawls 
around  on  the  comb  for  a  few  moments  before  giving  its  load  to  another  bee 
or  depositing  it.  As  soon  as  a  field-bee  disposes  of  its  load  of  honey  it  may 
take  a  few  moments  of  rest  somewhere  in  the  hive  before  returning  to  the 
field,  or  it  may  look  around  over  the  comb,  and  then  return  to  the  field. 
Thus  the  tiny  drops  of  honey  are  pouring  into  the  comb,  which,  if  jarred,  will 
rain  out  on  the  bottom ;  or  if  the  comb  is  turned  to  one  side  it  will  run  out. 
As  soon  as  it  is  stored  in  the  comb  no  time  is  lost  in  turning  it  into  honey  by 
fanning  it  or  sending  a  current  of  air  through  and  over  it,  and  by  moving 
it  from  place  to  place  in  the  comb,  and  by  injecting  it  into  the  honey-stomach 
and  throwing  it  back  out,  etc.  Thus  they  keep  it  in  a  vibrating  state  for  several 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  71 

days  and  nights,  spread  out  over  the  comb,  in  uncapped  cells,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  temperature  is  kept  high  in  the  hive.  Now,  when  the  bees 
have  removed  or  evaporated  about  all  the  water  from  the  nectar  so  it  will 
keep  without  souring,  or  have  done  about  as  much  as  they  can  with  it,  it  is 
capped  over,  and  then  is  honey. 


HOW  BEES  BUILD  HONEY^COMB. 

The  lover  of  comb  honey  is  not  apt  to  stop  eating  it  and  take  notice  of  the 
beautiful  small  thin  hexagon-shaped  wax  cells  it  is  stored  in.  When  bees 
need  wax  to  cap  their  honey,  or  more  comb  to  store  it  in,  some  special  bees 
seem  to  be  appointed,  or  take  up  at  this  particular  time,  wax-secreting;  but 
any  worker-bee  in  the  hive  can  and  may  secrete  wax ;  but  I  have  never  seen 
very  young  or  field-bees  do  so.  Wax-secreting  bees  may  be  found  anywhere 
in  the  hive,  but  mostly  where  the  comb  is  being  built ;  but  they  do  not  seem 
to  take  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  comb-building.    Wax-secreting  bees  keep 


WAX-POCKETS. 

themselves  gorged  with  honey  or  nectar  and  are  sulky,  clumsy,  and  can 
scarcely  fly  at  times.  Wax  is  secreted  in  eight  tiny  pockets  under  the  bee's 
body,  between  the  rings,  and  extending  out  from  these  pockets  or  certain 
places  between  the  rings  in  tiny  white  thin  scales  which  are  nearly  round. 
These  little  specks  of  wax  are  removed  by  the  attending  bees,  or  the  wax- 
secreting  bees  themselves  will  very  often  remove  them;  and  it  is  done  with 
their  front  feet.  Then  it  is  placed  edgewise  between  the  jaws  of  the  bee,  and 
carried  thus  to  where  it  thinks  it  is  needed;  and  as  the  temperature  is  high  in 
the  hive  or  cluster,  and  the  little  scale  is  very  soft,  it  will  easily  adhere  where 
it  is  placed,  and  thus  make  a  part  of  the  comb.  At  times  they  seem  to  have 
a  surplus  of  these  scales,  and  they  will  fall  like  tiny  flakes  of  snow  from  the 
cluster,  and  collect  on  the  bottom  so  thickly  that  it  can  be  gathered  up.  This 
is  often  the  case  where  new  swarms  have  been  hived,  but  generally  they 
are  very  saving  of  it,  and  will  often  remove  it  from  the  bottom  and  carry  it 
back  up  to  where  the  comb  is  being  built.  Wax-secreting  bees  consume  no 
small  amount  of  honey  while  performing  this  duty. 

Just  how  bees  build  comb  is  hard  to  explain;  but  every  one  who  has 
watched  the  interior  force  of  bees  at  work  knows  that  they  do  a  little  work 


72  SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 

here  and  there,  moving  in  a  nervous  manner  over  the  comb.  So  it  is  in  comb- 
building.  Every  bee  that  passes  along  does  something  toward  the  building 
of  the  comb,  and  the  little  scales  of  wax  are  fast  placed  along  where  they 
are  to  go,  many  of  which  it  seems  would  drop  off  if  touched;  but  the  passing 
bees  put  them  in  place  by  use  of  their  jaws  and  feet;  and  when  they  finish 
working  it,  it  is  as  thin  and  white  as  the  finest  paper,  and  the  cells  are  hexa- 
gonal in  shape,  and  built  on  the  incline.  So  the  work  goes  rapidly  along,  each 
passing  bee  doing  a  little  here  and  there,  the  tiny  scales  being  rapidly  placed 
along,  then  worked  into  the  straight  parts  of  the  cells  and  into  the  hexagonal 
corners,  etc.,  and  so  on  the  work  goes  day  and  night  until  they  need  no 
more  comb,  when  wax-secreting  and  comb-building  will  stop. 


PLEASURE  IN  BEE-KEEPING. 

The  question  might  he  asked,  "Where  is  the  pleasure  in  handling  stinging 
bees  and  enduring  their  stings?"  This  is  the  first  interesting  problem  for  a 
bee-keeper  to  solve.  He  can  get  badly  stung  and  endure  it,  or  he  can  avoid 
it.  The  greatest  pleasure  in  any  pursuit  is  in  mastering  it,  and  so  it  is  with 
bee-keeping.  The  more  we  master  of  it,  the  more  interesting  it  is,  and  the  more 
pleasure  we  derive  from  it.  But  bee-keeping  is  unlike  many  other  pursuits 
in  life,  for  it  is  never  mastered.  There  are  always  new  and  interesting  prob- 
lems arising  for  our  solution  in  the  culture  of  our  bees.  I  have  worked 
many  long  days  in  my  apiaries,  and  not  eaten  my  dinner  until  on  my  way 
home  at  night,  as  the  work  was  so  interesting,  and  seeing  that  the  bees  were 
prospering  me  under  my  guiding  hand.  I  was  totally  absorbed  in  my  work, 
and  did  not  care  to  stop  to  eat. 

Pleasure  is  one  of  the  essentials  of  any  successful  business ;  and  if  the 
pursuer  is  not  deriving  any  pleasure  from  his  pursuit  he  is  not  apt  to  aspire  to 
higher  office  .in  that  line  of  business,  and,  of  course,  sooner  or  later  he  will 
abandon  it.  But  this  is  rarely  the  case  in  bee-keeping.  It  is  not  only  a  pleas- 
ant pursuit,  but  it  is  a  fascinating  one — so  much  so  that  but  few  who  ever 
embark  upon  it  abandon  it.  I  don't  think  any  pursuit  should  be  taken  up, 
even  on  a  small  scale,  just  for  the  pleasure  alone  it  may  afford;  and  surely 
bee-keeping  never  can,  for  bees  are  too  industrious  and  sure  to  make  their 
culture  profitable  as  well  as  pleasant.  I  have  often  seen  colonies  of  beautiful 
yellow  bees  sitting  in  front  yards  or  convenient  places  about  the  premises; 
and  when  the  keepers  were  asked  about  their  bees  they  remarked  that  they 
were  keeping  a  few  colonies  for  the  pleasure  of  cultivating  them,  but  at  the 
same  time  the  bees  were  furnishing  their  homes  with  honey. 

It  is  often  remarked  that  farming  affords  more  real  pleasure  than  any 
other  pursuit  in  life;  and  it  seems  to  be  a  fact  when  we  see  the  farmer  fol- 
lowing along  behind  his  plow,  whistling  and  singing,  and  every  thing  flour- 
ishing around  him,  and  the  singing  birds  cheering  him  with  their  sweet  songs; 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  73 

but  yet  the  bee-keeper  in  his  apiary,  supplying  the  needs  of  his  bees,  with 
millions  of  tiny  drops  of  honey  pouring  into  his  apiary  from  a  thousand  hills, 
may  be  the  happiest  man  in  all  this  world. 


PROFIT  IN  BEE-KEEPING. 

Profit  in  any  kind  of  business  is  apt  to  be  the  first  thing  considered  by  the 
prospective  or  enterprising  man ;  and  if  he  concludes  from  what  he  can  learn 
from  others  who  are  engaged  in  a  certain  line  of  work  that  there  is  profit 
in  it  he  will  embark;  but  if  he  concludes  there  is  but  little  if  any  profit  in  it 
he  may  try  it  on  a  small  scale,  or  turn  his  attention  to  something  else.  Bee- 
keeping seems  not  to  have  been  considered  as  a  profitable  business  but  by 
few  of  our  enterprising  men  in  the  South. 

The  common  public  here  is  skeptical  when  it  comes  to  consider  the  honey- 
bee and  its  usefulness.  It  may  be  that  they  have  not  been  sufficiently  educated 
or  informed  in  regard  to  the  industry,  or  it  may  be  that  the  honey-bee  is  too 
insignificant-looking  an  insect  to  be  considered  profitable.  Many  bee-keepers 
are  skeptical  when  it  comes  to  the  cents  and  dollars  in  bee-keeping;  but  I 
have  yet  to  meet  a  bee-keeper  or  a  man  who  has  kept  bees 
who  says  they  did  not  pay  him  a  greater  per  cent,  of  profit 
than  any  other  investment  he  ever  made  so  long  as  he  gave  them 
intelligent  attention.  No  one  in  the  South  has  ever  lost  any  money  by  invest- 
ing it  in  bees,  and  this  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  any  other  industry  here. 
Many  times  has  the  question  been  asked,  "Is  there  any  money  in  bee-keep- 
ing?" I  always  answered,  "Yes,  if  it  is  done  with  enthusiasm  and  intelli- 
gence." Then,  again,  another  question  comes,  "Can  I  get  rich  by  making 
bee-keeping  my  business?"  I  always  answer  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a 
bee-keeper  spreading  his  bee-business  out  over  the  country,  and  saving  enough 
of  the  vast  amount  of  honey  that  is  going  to  waste  each  season  to  gather 
up  a  large  amount  of  this  world's' goods  around  him;  but,  like  all  other 
business,  the  profit  can  be  estimated  only  by  the  amount  of  capital  invested 
in  it,  and  the  constant  care  it  receives.  If  bee-keepers  would  work  in  their 
apiaries  as  the  farmer  works  in  his  fields  I  don't  know  what  the  results 
would  be;  but  I  can  safely  say  that  they  would  be  satisfactory.  When  it 
comes  to  giving  the  profit  in  cents  and  dollars  on  bee-keeping  in  the  South 
I  can  not  do  it,  for  in  this  respect  locations  and  sections  vary  much  here; 
but  go  to  your  nearest  bee-keeper  and  find  out  what  he  has  got  invested  in 
bees,  and  the  amount  of  intelligent  attention  he  gives  them,  and  the  amount 
of  honey,  wax,  and  swarms  he  gets  from  them,  and  this  will  give  you  some 
idea  of  the  profit  in  bee-keeping  in  your  location. 


74  SOUTHERN   BEE  CUl-TURE 

BEE-KEEPING  A  PROFITABLE  SIDE  BUSINESS. 

I  am  glad  that  I  can  conscientiously  recommend  bee-keeping  as  a  profit- 
able side  line  of  business  for  people  engaged  in  almost  all  callings  of  life. 

This  is  a  progressive  age,  and  progressive  people  are  considering  other 
lines  of  business,  and  adding  them  from  time  to  time.  Bee-keeping  is  worthy 
of  consideration,  and  should  be  added  to  other  main  lines  of  business  far 
more  than  it  is.  It  i^  true  that  progressive  business  men  have  but  little  time 
to  spare  to  side  issues,  and  that  they  are  likely  to  be  neglected;  yet  it  would 
not  require  much  time  to  give  a  small  well-establishecf  apiary  the  necessary 
attention. 

There  are  but  few  enterprising  or  business  men  who  do  not  have  a  few 
spare  moments  every  two  or  three  weeks  which  could  be  profitably  spent  in 
the  apiary,  and  surely  the  work  would  be  recreative.  Such  apiaries  shouM 
be  operated  for  chunk  or  extracted  honey  so  there  would  be  no  swarms  to 
hive,  and  the  honey  could  be  removed  from  the  hives  at  leisure.  Of  course  it 
would  be  necessary  to  read  up  some  on  bee  culture ;  but  this  could  be  done 
during  spare  moments  at  business  or  at  night.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
children  love  the  study  of  bees,  and  to  work  among  them;  and  if  they  are 
supplied  with  veils  and  gloves  they  will  take  great  interest  in  the  bees,  and 
be  of  much  assistance  in  apiary  work. 

I  have  a  list  of  names  of  people  who  are  mayors  of  cities  and  towns, 
railroad  employees,  bankers,  lawyers,  doctors,  ministers,  merchants,  etc.,  and, 
in  fact,  men  engaged  in  almost  all  pursuits  of  life  who  are  succeeding  with 
bee-keeping  as  a  side  line.  I  have  a  long  list  of  farmers  who  are  successful 
bee-keepers  and  many  of  them  are  realizing  better  results  from  their  apiaries 
than  their  farms.  There  is  no  reason  why  any  one  interested  in  bee  culture 
should  not  succeed  in  following  it  to  some  extent  as  a  side  line  to  their  main 
business ;  and  especially  is  this  true  with  our  farming  class  of  people  who  are 
scattered  out  over  the  country,  and  who  live  surrounded  by  honey-plants  so 
convenient  for  the  bees,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  have  more  spare  time  which 
they  could  devote  to  their  bees  than  any  other  class  of  people ;  and,  too,  they 
are  better  situated  to  keep  bees.  The  farmers  usually  produce  what  they 
consume,  and  honey  on  their  tables  as  food  would  certainly  be  an  addition  of 
great  value.  Many  of  them  raise  something  for  market,  and  honey  to  sell 
would  be  quite  an;  item.  It  is  customary  for  farmers  to  borrow  money  in 
early  spring  to  make  their  crops  on,  and  they  have  to  pay  large  per  cent 
interest  on  it.  Suppose  they  operated  progressive  apiaries,  the  products  of 
which  could  be  marketed  in  early  spring  when  the  returns  could  best  be 
expended  on  their  farms,  and  the  amount  of  borrowed  capital  greatly  dimin- 
ished if  not  completely  covered. 


BEE-KEEPING  AS  A  SIDE  ISSUE. 
Bee-keeping  is  looked  upon  with  much  distrust  by  the  uninitiated.    The 
bees  are  supposed  to  be  desperate  in  disposition,  attacking  any  one  in  sight ; 
and  any  one  seen  handling  them  with  apparent  ease  and  indifference  is  sup- 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  75 

posed  to  have  some  charm  over  them,  or,  as  is  often  said,  "The  bees  don't 
sting  him."  But  if  such  a  one  is  persuaded  to  go  close  enough  to  see  what 
is  going  on  he  will  learn  that  the  secret  of  the  operator's  immunity  lies  in  the 
fact  of  his  composure  and  in  his  care  not  to  jar  the  hive  or  mash  the  bees, 
which  would  be  sure  to  anger  them. 

Persons  may  often  become  interested  in  bees  by  some  such  chance 
acquaintance,  and  become  bee-keepers  in  a  small  way,  and  occasionally  quite 
extensive  ones  devoting  their  whole  time  to  it.  This  is  a  very  natural  conse- 
quence and  we  only  wonder  that  more  people  are  not  bee-keepers.  Bees 
are,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting  and  useful  insects,  and  bee-keeping  can  be 
made  both  pleasant  and  profitable.  It  is  on  account  of  ignorance  of  the  habits 
and  disposition  of  bees,  and  the  lack  of  an  introduction,  you  might  say, 
because,  when  once  interested,  a  person  is  hardly  satisfied  till  he  has  a  hive  of 
his  own.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  hive  should  not  be  as  common  as  the 
chicken-coop  at  our  homes.  One  or  two  hives  would  furnish  a  home  with 
honey,  which  is,  at  the  same  time,  a  luxury  and  of  value ;  as  food  it  can  not 
be  too  highly  estimated,  and  would,  perhaps,  furnish  more  pin  money  than  the 
"old  hen"  herself.  The  pleasure  they  afford  to  those  who  take  an  interest 
in  them  is  not  to  be  overlooked  either. 

Bee-keeping  offers  peculiar  advantages  to  persons  already  engaged  in 
some  occupations.  They  require  very  little  attention,  and  that  can  be  given 
at  leisure.  The  capital  invested  is  small,  and  the  profit  proportionately  large. 
Most  important  of  all,  they  would  add  to  a  person's  capacity  for  money-earn- 
ing, and  thus  better  his  condition.  It  is  an  outdoor  pursuit,  and  consequently 
beneficial  to  the  health.  It  is  an  absorbing  occupation  that  makes  you  forget 
other  cares  and  worries,  as  it  has  been  said  you  can  not  work  with  bees  and 
think  about  something  else. 

Bee-keepers  are  not  an  exclusive  set,  but  welcome  any  new  recruits  to 
their  ranks.  They  are  generally  religious,  and  stand  for  principles  that  make 
the  highest  type  of  citizens  Our  organizations  believe  that,  in  the  multitude 
of  counselors,  there  is  safety.  Every  one  who  is  interested  in  bees  should 
belong  to  at  least  one  of  these  organizations.  The  stronger  in  numbers  the 
more  potent  they  are  to  benefit  their  constituents. — H.  M.  Parker,  Jr.,  James 
Island,  S.  C. 


EXTENSIVE  BEE-KEEPING. 

The  above  subject  is  only  a  dream  of  the  future  with  many  of  the  bee- 
keepers of  the  South;  but  a  great  number  of  them  are  pulling  for  the  mark, 
and  some  of  them  are  joining  us  each  season,  and  soon  we  shall  have  a  large 
list  of  professional  bee-keepers.  Extensive  bee-keeping  is  spreading  bees  out 
over  the  country,  or  reaching  out  and  saving  honey  by  successfully  operating 
out-apiaries. 

Bee-keepers  are  like  people  in  all  other  callings  of  life..  Some  have  the 
ability  to  manage  successfully  twelve  or  fifteen  out-apiaries,  and  some  can 


-jd  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

not  operate  more  than  the  home  apiary;  so  a  bee-keeper  should  consider  his 
ability  or  capacity  to  do  apiary  work  before  he  begins  extensive  bee-keeping. 

It  is  hard  to  get  assistance  in  the  apiary,  and  we  can  not  always  depend 
on  it ;  and  this  should  be  a  matter  for  consideration. 

Experience  is  also  a  matter  of  consideration.  No  one  should  think  of 
jumping  into  extensive  bee-keeping  without  several  years'  practical  apiary 
work. 

Location  is  also  a  matter  of  great  importance.  If  you  are  not  getting 
satisfactory  results  from  the  home  yard,  and  you  see  no  better  locations 
around  or  near  you,  you  should  not  attempt  to  spread  your  bee  business 
unless  you  move  into  a  more  favorable  location. 

A  large  honey  crop  should  not  induce  you  to  enter  an  extensive  bee  busi- 
ness, for  it  might  have  been  an  exceptional  season,  and  another  crop  like  it 
may  not  be  harvested  in  that  section  or  locality  for  several  years.  The  crops 
for  successive  years  should  be  added,  and  see  what  the  average  has  been,  and 
if  it  will  not  justify  the  establishing  of  an  extensive  bee  and  honey  business, 
it  should  not  be  embarked  upon. 

Very  often  a  bee-keeper  with  only  a  few  colonies  will  get  so  much  inter- 
ested in  them,  or  enthusiastic  over  the  bee  business,  that  he  is  completely 
captivated  by  it,  and  then  he  is  apt  to  invest  too  much  money  in  bees  at 
once,  which  he  should  not  do,  but  grow  gradually  into  an  extensive  bee 
business.  Bee-keepers  sometimes  invest  money  in  bees  beyond  their  ability  to 
manage  them.    This  is  a  very  unwise  step  to  take  for  extensive  bee-keeping. 

Of  course,  no  one  should  sell  property  or  borrow  capital  to  go  into  exten- 
sive bee-keeping,  for  good  honey  seasons  do  not  come  often,  and.  we  could 
not  expect  more  than  a  good  living  from  our  bees  except  during  good  seasons 
when  a  large  crop  of  honey  might  be  harvested;  then  we  might  be  able  to 
pay  something  on  back  indebtedness,  or  it  might  be  a  long  time  before  we 
could  meet  our  financial  obligations;  so  it  is  best  to  let  the  bees  pay  their 
way  into  an  extensive  business. 

If  a  bee-keeper  will  let  bee-keeping  be  a  side  business  and  invest  his  sur- 
plus money  from  his  main  business  in  bees  and  apiarian  appliances,  he  can  soon 
have  a  large  business  established ;  and  during  that  time  he  will  gain  much 
valuable  experience  in  handling  bees. 

A  bee-keeper  can  work  with  his  bees  during  spring  and  summer,  then  do 
something  else  during  fall  and  winter,  and  establish  himself  in  extensive 
bee-keeping  in  this  way;  but  he  should  never  let  his  other  business  cause  him 
to  neglect  his  bees. 

These  are  only  a  few  things  a  bee-keeper  should  consider  before  he 
launches  out  into  extensive  bee-keeping,  and  with  these  few  admonitory 
remarks  we  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  extensive  bee-keeping.  After  the 
home  yard  has  been  established  with  50  or  75  colonies  of  bees,  and  equipped 
with  a  good  honey-house  and  a  large  work-shop  in  which  to  set  up  supplies 
we  should  make  a  survey  of  our  section  of  the  country  in  every  direction, 
and  especially  take  notice  of  the  varieties  of  honey-plants,  and  note  loca- 
tions where  they  are  the  most  abundant.     After  the  survey  has  been  made. 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  77 

and  all  desirable  locations  marked  on  the  map  which  you  make  while  view- 
ing the  cotmtry,  the  apiary  should,  be  established  in  the  most  convenient  and 
favorable  location  on  the  map ;  then  as  soon  as  you  have  bees  enough,  estab- 
lish another  apiary  at  the  next  most  favorable  location,  and  so  on  until  you 
have  as  many  bees  as  you  want  in  that  section.  But  in  occupying  this  home 
territory  we  should  not  interfere  with  any  other  bee-keeper ;  and  it  should  be 
occupied  to  the  greatest  advantage  possible  for  the  bees.  Bees  penetrate  the 
location  they  are  in,  for  honey,  for  three  or  four  miles ;  but  when  the  hoAey- 
plants  are  in  bloom,  and  honey  is  coming  in,  the  penetration  is  not  extended  so 
far — one,  one  and  a  half  or  two  miles,  perhaps,  so  the  apiaries  should  be  'o- 
cated  over  three  miles  apart,  so  that  the  bees  in  one  yard  will  not  gather  the 
honey  the  bees  in  the  other  yards  would  get.  Bees,  like  other  living  things  that 
feed  upon  whatever  mother  Earth  may  send  forth  for  them,  may  not  do 
well  in  one  pasture;  for  only  a  certain  number  are  required  to  remove  the 
suMJly,  and  all  over  that  number  will  only  save  what  others  would;  so  too 
many  bees  should  not  be  put  in  one  yard.  The  number  of  colonies  required 
to  secure  the  honey  in  one  location  depends  upon  the  number  of  honey-  plants 
there  are  in  it;  also  the  uncertainity  of  seasons  is  a  matter  for  considera- 
tion. If  it  is  a  good  season  there  is  plenty  of  honey  in  the  blossoms,  .ind  it 
will  require  a  large  number  of  bees  to  gather  it ;  but  if  it  is  a  poor  season  the 
honey-plants  will  yield  sparingly,  and  a  great  number  of  bees  will  visit  the 
blossoms  too  often,  and  only  a  very  small  amount  will  be  obtained  by  each 
bee;  while  if  the  visits  were  not  so  often  the  amount  obtained  by  each  bee 
would  be  greater.  Some  of  our  Southern  bee-keepers  keep  from  75  to  200 
colonies  in  one  location ;  but  the  most  successful  ones  are  keeping  only  from 
40  to  60,  but  located  two  or  three  miles  apart,  or  somewhat  closer  than  large 
apiaries.  I  have  obtained  better  results  by  operating  small  apiaries,  so  I  do 
not  advocate  large  ones,  taking  the  uncertainties  into  consideration.  I  would 
not  be  willing  to  risk  my  bee  business  if  too  much  compacted. 

There  is  another  thing  of  great  importance  in  locating  out-apiaries;  and 
that  is,  they  should  be  located  close  to  a  lasting  spring  or  stream  of  water, 
for  bees  consume  a  large  amount  of  it  during  the  season,  especially  at  times 
when  .brood-rearing  is  at  a  high  pitch.  Apiaries  should  not  be  located  on 
open  land  some  distance  from  the  forest,  because  in  early  spring  we  have 
much  high  cold  wind  that  usually  plays  havoc  with  our  honey  crop;  and  if 
the  bees  have  to  go  across  untimbered  land  they  are  beaten  down  by  the 
high  wind,  and  many  of  them  never  reach  their  hives.  But  if  they  are  located 
along  branches  or  creeks  the  growth  will  protect  them  while  flying.  My 
apiaries  are  located  on  creeks ;  and  when  the  wind  is  high  the  honey-laden 
bees  will  mostly  come  in  low  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  timber  from  the 
wind.  The  most  of  the  creeks  and  branches  have  a  heavy  growth  along  on 
either  side  of  them,  and  cet-tainly  furnish  great  protection  to  bees  in  their 
flight.  . 

Every  outer  apiary  should  also  have  a  good  honey-house  to  do  extractmg 
in,  or  to  keep  honey  in  for  a  short  time,  and  to  keep  extra  supplies  in,  and 
to  get  in  out  of  bad  weather  while  working  over  the  apiary.  There  should 
also  be  a  smoker,  veil,  and  hat  at  each  honey-house  for  convenience.     The 


78  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

extensive  bee-keeper  must  control  the  increase  of  his  bees,  and,  of  course, 
should  have  a  conveyance  to  go  from  yard  to  yard  ministering  to  the  needs 
of  his  bees. 

How  to  make  increase  at  these  apiaries  to  establish  others,  see  "Artificial 
Swarming." 

After  you  have  as  many  apiaries  as  you  want  in  the  home 
territory,  and  decide  you  can  care  for  more  bees  properly,  take 
a  \rip  over  the  railroads  running  by  your  station  or  .  town,  and 
get  off  at  each  one,  and  view  the  surrounding  territory  for  some  dis- 
tance out;  and  after  you  have  surveyed  the  country  as  far  as  you  wish 
to  in  this  way,  making  a  memorandum  of  the  amount  of  honey-plants  at 
each  station,  and  the  convenience  for  establishing  an  apiary  there,  locate  an 
apiary  at  the  most  favorable  station,  as  close  to  it  as  possible,  so  as  to  be 
convenient  to  the  depot.  Then  establish  another  apiary  at  the  next  favorable 
station,  and  so  on  until  you  have  as  extensive  honey  business  as  you  desire. 
If  you  wish  you  could  have  your  entire  business  scattered  along  the  rail- 
roads and  make  the  visits  to  the  apiaries  on  the  train,  and  transportation 
would  be  good.  Your  bee  business  would  be  much  better  if  scattered,  and  you 
would  be  almost  sure  to  have  a  good  crop  at  some  location.  While  trans- 
portation might  be  rather  high,  yet  you  could  do  thorough  work  at  each 
apiary,  and  make  but  few  visits. 


ESTABLISHING  AND   MANAGING  OUT-APIARIES. 

The  location  is,  evidently,  the  first  thing  to  consider.  Of  the  sources 
of  nectar  that  may  be  found,  whether  it  is  in  the  forests  containing  basswood, 
poplar,  or  other  nectar-bearing  trees,  or  in  cultivated  areas  of  sweet  clover, 
alsike  clover,  buckwheat,  etc.,  I  have  found  here  that  white  clover  and 
buckwheat  are  of  very  little  value,  owing  to  a  climate  too  warm  and  too  dry. 

The  kind  of  soil  has  considerable  bearing  on  the  subject.  It  is  necessary 
for  the  production  of  nectar  that  there  should  be  a  certain  amount  of  humidi- 
ty in  the  ground  ;  and  it  follows  that  a  gravelly  or  sandy  land,  being  naturally 
dry,  is  unfavorable.  Along  the  streams  and  rivers  is  a  better  place  than  the 
upland,  partly  because  the  bottom  lands  do  not  dry  as  fast  as  the  highlands, 
partly  because  there  are  in  such  places  quite  an  amount  of  nectar-bearing 
wild  flowers,  and  also  because  the  soil  is  richer,  for,  remember  that,  the  richer 
the  ground  is,  the  more  nectar  the  flowers  will  produce.  The  European 
writers  claim  that  more  nectar  will  be  produced  on  limestone  grounds  than  on 
other  kinds. 

The  distance  between  the  apiaries  should  be  two  or  three  miles,  or  they 
should  be  that  distance  from  the  apiary  of  somebody  else,  should  there  be 
any  in  that  neighborhood — that  is,  apiaries  of  some  size,  not  half  a  dozen 
box  hives  kept  by  a  farmer.     Such  do  not  count. 

To  work  to  advantage  there  should  be  enough  colonies  in  an  a{)iary  to 
give  the  operator  a  full  day  of  work  when  he  goes  there,  even  if  that  would 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  yg 

be  somewhat  too  many  for  the  best  yield  per  colony.    That  number  is  usually 
given  at  one  hundred.     I  think  it  is  rather  too  much  than  too  little. 

We  will  now  consider  what  might  be  called  the  situation — that  is,  the  par- 
ticular place  in  the  location  selected,  in  which  you  will  plant  your  apiary. 
In  the  first  place  you  must  select  good  people  as  far  as  possible— those  who 
own  the  land  that  they  cultivate.  Renters  are,  as  a  rule,  not  a  very  desirable 
class  of  people  to  deal  with.  Besides  that,  they  move  often,,  and  the  next  one 
might  not  care  to  have  your  bees. 

How  much  should  be  paid  for  the  land  occupied?  I  do  not  know.  All 
the  people  with  whom  I  have  had  bees,  or  those  to  whom  I  have  spoken  on 
the  subject,  have  positively  refused  any  pay.  Needless  to  say,  that,  if  you 
don't  pay  any  cash,  you  must  see  that  they  should  be  compensated  in  honey 
or  otherwise.  Even  if  you  pay,  don't  be  too  stingy,  and  be  sure  to  be  on 
good  terms  with  the  people  who  have  your  bees,  and  also  with  the  neighbors. 
You  don't  know  when  your  bees  will  sting  somebody  or  somebody's  horse ; 
and  should  it  happen,  the  good  will  of  the  people  will  go  a  long  way  toward 
fixing  up  the  matter. 

Put  the  apiary  as  close  to  the  house  as  po-ssible  without  interfering  with 
the  people  and  the  stock.  This  is  to  prevent  too  much  stealing.  If  too  far 
from  the  house,  you  may  find  some  of  the  honey  gone  and  some  of  the  bees 
destroyed.  But  they  should  be  where  they  can  not  give  trouble  or  be  in 
the  way. 

I  prefer  a  grove  of  trees  to  any  other  place.  The  shade  is  a  considerable 
help  to  the  bees  and  to  the  apiarist  during  the  day;  and,  what  is  usually 
overlooked,  they  are  a  protection  against  the  cold  and  the  dampness  of  the 
night — at  least  in  the  early  spring  and  in  the  fall. 

Water  should  be  close  by.  A  running  creek  or  spring  is  not  exactly  what 
is  wanted.  The  bees  sip  the  water  from  the  mud  or  damp  earth,  and  pre- 
ferably in  a  warm  place  well  exposed  to  the  sun.  Even  in  the  hottest  days 
they  will  go  where  the  sun  shines  if  they  have  the  choice. 

In  the  early  spring  the  bees  need  a  considerable  amount  of  water,  and 
they  will  go  out  in  quite  cold  weather  to  get  it;  and  if  the  water  is  not 
warmed  up  by  the  sun,  the  bees  may  get  chilled  and  perish. 

I  put  my  hives  on  benches  about  eighteen  inches  high,  with  the  legs  driven 
into  the  ground  to  some  depth.  The  bottoms  and  hives  are  fastened  to  the 
benches  so  that  they  will  hold  well,  and  yet  can  be  unfastened  when  desir- 
able, which  with  my  method  of  management  very  rarely  happens.  This 
enables  me  to  work  standing  instead  of  stooping  down.  It  helps  against  the 
depredations  of  ants,  toads,  lizards,  etc.  But  the  greatest  advantage  is  that 
the  hives  can  not  be  upset.  I  have  not  yet  obtained  a  location  where  the 
owner  did  not  want  to  turn  in  occasionally  some  hogs,  or  calves  at  least, 
and  sometimes  even  the  cows.  With  the  hives  thus  placed,  there  is  no 
danger  of  a  disaster — only  an  occasional  sting.  It  is  the  upsetting  of  a  hive 
loosely  placed  on  the  ground  that  causes   serious  trouble. 

As  to  the  management,  there  is  no  difference  between  the  home  apiary 
and  the  out-apiaries  except  in  regard  to  swarming.  To  pay  somebody  to  watch 


8d  southern  bee  culture 

the  swarms  and  catch  them  would  cost  too  much ;  besides  that  it  would  often 
be  difficult  to  find  somebody  who  could  be  depended  on  to  do  it  carefully. 

The  only  way  is  to  put  queen-traps  on  all  the  hives  during  the  swarm- 
ing season.  In  order  to  obtain  sufficient  ventilation  it  is  necessary  to  have  the 
entrances  two  inches  hich  by  the  whole  width  of  the  hive.  The  traps  should 
also  be  of  the  width  of  the  hive,  and  sufficiently  high.  The  drones  must  be 
destroyed  as  fast  as  caught,  because  they  obstruct  the  passing  of  the  bees 
through  the  zinc.  It  will  not  do  to  turn  them  outside,  for  they  will  congregate 
on  the  traps  and  be  in  the  way  even  worse  than  they  were  when  inside. 

Clipping  will  not  do  at  all  in  out-apiaries.  A  swarm  issuing  in  the 
absence  of  the  apiarist  will,  if  it  has  a  cHpped  queen,  return  to  the  parent 
hive;  but  usually  the  queen  is  lost.  Later  on,  a  second  swarm  will  issue 
with  a  virgin  and  go  to  the  woods  unless  the  apiarist  happens  to  be  there 
just  at  that  particular  time;  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  he  will  not  discover 
it  until  the  colony  is  practically  ruined. 

The  use  of  queen-traps  does  not  necessarily  prevent  him  from  shaking 
swarms  or  unqueening,  or  doing  something  to  prevent  or  reduce  swarming. 
It  is  better  to  be  on  the  safe,  side,  and  be  sure  that  no  swarm  will  be  lost. 

When  I  established  my  second  apiary  I  took  the  bees  from  the  other.  I 
shook  them  into  wire-cloth  cages,  and  carried  them  to  the  new  place.  I  did 
not  move  any  hives  or  combs. 

Adrian  Getaz, 

Knoxville,  Tenn. 


UNITING  BEES. 

Uniting  .two  or  more  weak  colonies  into  one  strong  populous  colony 
previous  to  the  honey-flow  is  quite  an  item  when  we  keep  bees  for  cents  and 
dollars.  No  one  should  keep  bees  scattered  about  in  hives  just  for  the  sake 
of  saying  that  he  has  so  many  colonies  of  bees,  for  he  has  more  money  tied 
up  in  bee-supplies  than  necessary,  and  it  requires  too  much  time  to  look  after 
these  small  swarms  or  weak  colonies  of  bees,  and  then  very  often  not  get  a 
pound  of  surplus  honey  from  them.  This  is  not  a  satisfactory  way  to  keep 
bees;  but  if  the  weak  colonies  are  united  into  strong  ones,  there  will  be 
less  money  invested  in  supplies,  and  the  time  required  to  give  the  bees  neces- 
sary attention  will  be  m^uch  less.  All  colonies,  being  strong,  will  store  a  sur- 
plus of  honey,  and  bee-keeping  will  be  in  every  respect  more  satisfactory. 
If  you  are  keeping  bees  as  a  side  issue,  and  haven't  much  spare  time  to 
give  them  you  should  adopt  uniting  them.  The  extra  hives  left  empty  from 
uniting  can  be  scraped  or  cleaned  up  to  put  new  swarms  in.  Bees  should  be 
united  in  early  spring  in  order  to  get  as  much  honey  as  possible  during  the 
spring  flow;  then  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  just  before  we  put  the  bees  up  for 
winter. 

When  two  or  more  colonies  are  united,  all  the  queens  will  be  killed  but 
one;  and  if  you  have  no  choice  among  the  queens,  just  unite  them  and  the 
bees  will  make  a  choice  and  kill  the  others.'  But  if  you  have  a  choice  among 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  8l 

the  queens  in  the  colonies  you  wish  to  unite,  kill  all  others  some  time  during 
tlie  day  you  wish  to  unite  them,  and  at  the  same  time  inspect  all  the  weak 
colonies  closely  and  see  how  many  strong  colonies  they  will  make,  or  how 
many  colonies  you  want  to  make  out  of  them;  then  cut  enough  pieces  of 
screen  wire  the  same  size  of  the  hive  (or  a  little  larger  would  be  better) 
to  go  between  each  two  hives  to  be  united.  Then  later  in  the  afternoon,  when 
all  bees  are  in,  remove  the  covers  from  the  hives  you  wish  to  remain  on 
their  stands,  and  put  a  sheet  of  wire  over  it ;  then  lift  a  hive  gently  from  its 
bottom  and  set  it  on  top  of  this  one ;  and  if  there  is  to  be  another  hive  united 
with  these,  remove  the  top  from  it  and  put  a  sheet  of  wire  over  it  and  set 
another  hive  on  it.  Now  there  is  nothing  but  wire  between  each  two  colonies 
of  bees,  and  they  will  at  once  begin  to  acquire  the  scent  of  each  other.  Be 
sure  that  you  have  one  of  the  choice  queens  in  one  of  these  hives  thus  pre- 
pared. 

Now  let  the  bees  remain  thus  over  night,  next  daj',  and  the  next  night; 
then  early  in  the  morning  they  are  ready  for  uniting.  Slip  the  wire  out  from 
between  each  hive  and  give  them  a  good  smoking  through  the  entrance  of  the 
bottom  hive,  and  the  bees  will  all  run  together;  then  in  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes'  give  them  another  good  steady  smoking  and  they  will  not  know  one 
from  another;  but  watch  them  for  a  while  to  see  that  they  do  not  get  to 
fighting ;  but  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will ;  and  if  they  do,  give  them  another 
good  smoking,  and  this  will  unite  them.  Let  them  remain  thus  until  the  fol- 
lowing day,  then  put  the  frames  of  brood  and  choice  frames  of  honey  all 
in  one  hive,  and  you  will  have  a  good  strong  colony  of  bees  which  will  be 
ready  for  the  approaching  honey-flow.  The  frames  of  comb  and  hives  left  on 
hand  can  be  used  as  the  apiarist  may  see  fit,  but  should  be  left  in  the  care 
of  the  bees  if  the  weather  is  warm.  There  are  too  many  weak  colonies  tol- 
erated in  the  South,  and  the  plan  of  uniting  should  be  adopted. 


WINTERING  BEES. 

Bees  will  winter  safely  on  their  summer  stands  anywhere  in  the  South; 
but  they  should  be  properly  provided  with  stores,  for  they  will  consume  con- 
siderable honey  during  the  warm  spells  which  come  often  during  even  our 
coldest  months.  Then  in  the  early  part  of  winter,  or  very  early  in  spring 
our  earliest  pollen  and  honey  plants  will  begin  to  bloom,  and  bees  will  begin 
to  spread  their  brood  more  rapidly,  and  consume  stores  fast,  for  the  flow 
which  may  be  on  will  be  very  light  and  at  intervals.  If  bees  get  a  setback 
at  this  critical  time  it  will  be  a  hard  matter  to  get  them  over  it  before  our 
heavy  honey-flow  in  the  spring ;  so  bees  must  be  supplied  with  plenty  of  stores 
when  they  are  put  up  for  winter  to  expect  the  best  results  from  them  during 
the  spring  flow.  Of  course,  it  is  best  to  put  them  all  up  strong  colonies  for 
winter ;  but  weak  ones,  and  two,  three,  or  four  frame  nuclei  will  winter  safely 
almost  anywhere  in  the  South  if  they  have  plenty  of  stores. 

Bees  should  not  be  wintered  on  the  north  side  of  a  building  nor  where 
they  will  not  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  sun  during  the  winter ;  for  it  is  very 


82  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

essential  to  their  progress ;  and  the  entrance  should  be  turned  toward  the 
south,  so  they  can  crawl  out  on  the  alighting-boards  and  sun  themselves, 
which  they  seem  to  love  so  much  to  do.  If  there  are  any  cracks  or  crevices 
about  the  hives  that  will  let  the  cold  wind  in  on  the  clusters  of  bees  they 
should  be  stopped,  and  the  bees  molested  no  more  than  possible  during 
winter. 

During  October  is  the  best  time  to  put  bees  up  for  winter,  and  to  outline 
the  work.  Look  over  the  apiary  and  see  where  your  surplus  honey  is,  or 
where  feeding  will  have  to  be  done,  and  mark  the  colonies  thus ;  then  take  an 
empty  hive  body  and  bottom,  also  a  box  or  bench  to  set  the  hives  on  while 
you  are  preparing  it  for  winter,  manipulating  and  cleaning  up  the  frames. 
Remove  a  hive  and  set  it  on  the  box  or  bench,  and  put  the  extra  bottom  on 
its  stand  and  set  the  extra  empty  hive-body  on  it.  Now  remove  the  cover 
and  smoke  the  bees  down  and  scrape  the  tops  of  the  frames  if  there  is  any 
comb  or  any  wads  of  propolis  on  them ;  then  remove  the  division-board  and 
cut  the  burr  comb  off,  if  there  is  any,  along  the  side  of  the  frame,  and  pry 
it  loose  with  the  hive  tool  (a  plane-bit  is  a  good  tool  for  this  purpose),  and 
clean  the  other  side  of  the  frame  off ;  then  lift  it  out  and  set  it  in  the  empty 
hive  body,  put  it  to  one  side,  and  take  special  notice  of  the  honey  there  is 
in  it.  Clean  the  next  frame  up  in  like  manner,  and  set  it  in  beside  this  frame, 
and  so  on  until  all  the  frames  have  been  cleaned  up  or  scraped  well,  and  set 
them  in  the  extra  hive-body  in  the  same  position  they  were  in  the  old  hive, 
so  as  not  to  upset  them  in  household  affairs.  If  all  the  frames  have  been 
closely  inspected  as  they  were  cleaned  up,  a  vefy  accurate  estimate  can  be 
maae  on  the  bees  and  honey  in  the  hive ;  but  weak  colonies  will  consume 
about  as  much  honey  during  winter  and  spring  as  strong  ones,  so  the  bees 
should  rot  be  a  matter  of  consideration  unless  they  are  very  weak;  but  the 
amount  of  stores  is  a  matter  of  much  importance ;  and  if  the  two  outside 
frames,  or  the  two  frames  on  either  side  of  the  brood-nest,  are  not  from  a 
half  to  two-thirds  full  of  honey  one  of  them,  at  least,  should  be  changed 
for  a  full  frame  of  honey  from  some  colony  which  may  have  it  to  spare;  then 
if  there  is  a  good  rim  of  honey  around  the  brood  in  each  frame  the  hive 
may  be  marked  "O.  K.  for  winter,"  when  the  division-board  has  been  cleaned 
up  and  set  in  and  wedged  up  behind  the  frames,  and  the  cover  cleaned  up  and 
set  on.  If  there  is  no  surplus  frames  of  honey  in  the  apiary  this  amount 
of  stores  can  be  fed  them   (see  "Feeding  Bees".). 

Now  clean  up  the  bottom  and  hive-ibody  which  you  have  removed  the 
bees  from,  and  you  will  have  extra  ones  for  the  next  colony,  which  should 
be  treated  in  like  manner,  and  so  on  until  all  the  colonies  in  the  apiary  have 
been  put  up  for  winter.  Then  you  can  rejoice  over  the  fact  during  the 
winter  months  that  your  bees  will  be  in  the  best  possible  condition  next 
spring  on  your  first  inspection  tour ;  and  the  frames  will  be  cleaned  up  and 
in  readiness  for  their  manipulation  during  the  coming  season. 

There  is  another  thing  we  must  not  overlook  in  preparing  our  bees  for 
winter,  and  that  is  to  see  that  all  hive  entrances  are  contracted  enough  so 
that  they  will  not  let  mice   into  the   hives,   for  they  will  eat  up   no  small 


SOUTHERN    BEE  CULTURE  83 

amount  of  honey,  and  pollen  too,  should  there  be  any  in  the  comib  on  the 
outside  of  the  cluster  of  bees;  besides,  they  will  tear  down  the  comb  and 
perhaps  build  a  nest  in  it;  and  they  will  kill  many  bees,  pulling  them  apart 
at  their  waist,  and  eat  out  their  interior  parts. 


SHADE  AND  LOCATION  FOR  BEES. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  bees  need  shade  here  in  the  South  during  our 
warmest  weather,  for  many  colonies  and  no  small  amount  of  honey  are  lost 
here  each  season  by  the  hives  being  exposed  to  the  direct  heat  of  the  sun. 
In  locating  an  apiary  we  should  have  this  subject  in  mind  and,  if  possible, 
locate  it  in  some  thinly  shaded  place,  for  a  dense  shade  such  as  scuppernong 
or  grape-arbors,  and  the  shade  of  the  umbrella  china-trees  and  other  low 
dense  trees  is  not  good  shade  for  bees,  for  there  is  too  much  dampness  under 
it  for  bees ;  and,  besides,  such  a  shade  would  be  a  hindrance  to  the  flight  of 
the  bees.  Fruit-trees  furnish  good  shade  for  bees,  but  usually  the  land  is 
cultivated  in  orchards,  and  for  this  reason  it  would  not  be  a  good  place  to 
locate  an  apiary.  Small  low  pine-trees  furnish  good  shade  for  bees  during 
summer ;  but  as  they  should  not  be  shaded  in  winter  this  would  not  be  a  good 
place  for  the  apiary.  Under  large  tall  timber  is  not  a  good  place,  because 
bees  will  often  settle  in  the  tops  of  such  trees.  There  is  no  better  location 
for  bees  than  under  small  oaks  of  any  kind,  for  they  furnish  shade  during 
warm  weather  and  shed  their  leaves  in  the  fall  and  give  the  bees  the  full 
benefit  of  the  sun.  in  winter,  which  they  need.  If  it  is  desired  to  plant  out 
some  trees  in  a  suitable  place  to  furnish  shade  for  the  bees,  there  is  nothing 
better  for  this  purpose  than  the  pecan-trees,  for  they  furnish  good  shade  and 
nuts  too. 

If  there  is  no  available  shade,  bees  can  be  shaded  by  laying  boards  or 
planks  over  the  hives;  but  it  is  no  small  job  to  remove  these  every  time  we 
look  through  them.  They  should  be  just  as  light  as  possible,  and  extend 
far  enough  out  to  shade  the  alighting-board  and  the  side  of  the  hives  most 
exposed  to  the  evening  sun,  as  well  as  the  cover  of  the  hives. 

Bees  should  never  be  placed  in  some  out-of-the-way  place,  for  they  are 
much  gentler  where  they  see  you  constantly  passing;  and  besides,  it  is  more 
convenient  to  give  them  attention. 

There  is  nothing  more  attractive  about  a  home  than  a  well-cared-for 
apiary  located  in  the  same  grove  as  your  home,  in  full  view  of  the  road  or 
public  highway;  and  it  will  furnish  the  passers-by  a  source  of  many  long 
interesting  conversations ;  and  if  the  apiary  is  located  near  your  home,  where 
you  can  see  the  little  streams  of  bees  pouring  into  and  out  of  the  hives,  and 
hear  the  heavy  roar  of  the  mighty  army  of  busy  toilers  at  night,  it  will  fur- 
nish an  inspiration  that  could  not  come  from  any  other  source. 


84  SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 

HIVE-MAKING. 

Hive-making  is  poor  economy  in  bee-keeping,  as  they  can  be  bought  (rom 
agents  in  nearly  every  section  in  the  South,  at  a  reasonable  price.  To  make 
a  home-made  hive  that  would  be  equal  to  a  factory-made  one,  and  as  con- 
venient for  the  bees  and  the  apiarist,  is  no  small  job,  and  the  work  is  very- 
tedious,  for  it  has  to  be  accurate  or  it  will  never  give  satisfaction,  and  the 
job  would  not  be  too  well  done  by  our  best  workman;  and  if  the  fastest  cheap- 
workman  were  to  take  the  job  of  making  them  they  would  cost  more  than 
factory-made  ones.  And,  besides,  suitable  material  to  make  them  of  is  not 
always  available.  If  they  are  not  made  of  very  soft  material  the  nails  will 
split  them  up  so  much  that  it  will  not  stand  handling  nor  give  satisfaction. 
The  soft  material  required  would  be  hard  to  get  in  many  sections  in  the 
South.  So  it  is  not  good  economy  for  bee-keepers  to  make  their  own  hives,, 
and  we  will  not  enter  on  the  construction  of  home-made  hives.  But  there  are 
two  parts  of  a  modern  hive  that  every  bee-keeper  should  know  how  to  make; 
and  they  are  the  cover  and  bottom.  Very  often  these  parts  of  a  hive  wilt 
give  way,  and  considerable  damage  be  done  before  we  can  get  more  from  the 
bee-supply  dealers.    The  construction  of  the  bottom  is  simple,  and  almost  any 


I^ 


il^rci^,  0 >> ^>         ^7^ 


Fig-I    Side  View 


'M!    -^        ^'^^-'       — -^^W 


one  can  make  them ;  so  we  will  go  into  the  construction  of  the  covers.  A$ 
they  are  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  weather  they  are  likely  to  give  way  and 
let  the  water  into  the  hives  on  the  bees,  comb,  and  frames,  at  any  time, 
which  would  be  very  detrimental  to  the  bees;  and  so  nothing  but  a  good 
cover  should  be  allowed  on  hives  at  any  season  of  the  year. 

I  have  made  many  covers;  but  the  two  I  shall  describe  give  me  better 
satisfaction  than  any  I  have  ever  made,  and  are  simple  and  easy  to  construct. 
But  caution  should  be  used  in  selecting  the  material;  and  it  would  be  best 
if  it  were  seasoned  in  the  open  air;  and  mostly  heart,  and  soft;  and  it  should 
also  not  be  warped,  and  should  be  free  from  knots  and  other  defects.  Lum- 
ber from  goods-boxes  makes  very  good  covers,  as  it  is  soft  and  not  easy  to 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  8S 

split ;  but  it  should  be  kept  painted  well,  for,  as  it  is  very  soft  and  sometimes 
thin,  it  will  let  the  water  or  dampness  through. 

In  putting  the  covers  together,  great  care  should  be  exercised  to  turn 
to  the  weather  the  side  of  the  board  which  grew  nearer  the  center  of  the 
tree,  else  they  will  warp  much  more,  and  you  will  have  to  nail  them  well 
with  small-bodied  flat-headed  nails,  long  enough  to  go  through  and  clinch 
on  the  other  side.  Finishing  nails  are  not  good  for  this  purpose,  as  their 
heads  are  too  small,  and  will  pull  through  the  wood  should  the  board  be 
inclined  to  warp,  and  they  would  not  hold  it  in  place.  After  the  covers  are 
made  they  should  be  painted  well  before  they  are  put  on  the  hives. 

Where  hives  are  exposed  to  the  sun  more  or  less,  Fig.  i  is  the  best 
cover,  as  it  has  a  one-inch  air-space  between  the  top  of  it  and  the  bottom, 
admitting  a  current  of  air  through  it.  Hives  with  covers  on  them  like  this 
one,  and  well  vented  at  the  bottom,  will  stand  the  heat  of  the  sun  anywhere 
in  the  South. 

Nearly  every  bee-keeper  has  had  some  experience  with  heavy  combs  of 
honey  melting  down  in  his  apiary,  and  many  large  vigorous  colonies  of  bees, 
and  full  hives  of  honey,  have  been  lost  by  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

Fig.  3  is  an  end  view  of  cover  Fig.  i.  Fig.  2  is  a  still  cheaper  cover, 
very  easy  and  simple  to  make,  and  is  durable,  but  should  not  be  used  except 
when  hives  are  shaded. 

Permit  me  to  say  here  that,  if  there  had  been  as  much  time  devoted  to 
the  study  and  care  of  honey-bees  as  there  has  been  lost  in  hive-making,  bee 
culture  would  not  be  where  it  is  to-day.  But  bee-supply  manufacturers  have 
not  had  many  agents  in  the  South,  and  supplies  were  hard  to  get;  but  we 
now  have  plenty  of  supplies  near,  and  let  us  avail  ourselves  of  them. 


WEAK  COLONIES. 

Weak  colonies  are  those  that  are  below  an  average  in  bees,  and  they  can 
be  found  in  nearly  every  apiary.  "Weaklings,"  as  they  are  more  commonly 
called,  are  hard  to  get  rid  of,  for  a  populous  colony  will  often  get  a  back- 
set; and  as  bees  are  very  short-lived  insects  they  soon  dwindle  down  below 
an  average.  Especially  is  this  true  if  they  do  not  receive  prompt  attention 
at  the  time  they  start  backward.  So  it  is  common  occurrence,  even  at  the 
close  of  the  honey-flow,  to  have  some  colonies  four  stories  high,  some  three, 
some  two,  and  some  with  only  one  story.  The  apiarist  who  has  a  large  num- 
ber of  colonies  to  look  after  has  more  of  these  weaklings  to  contend  with 
than  the  apiarist  who  has  only  a  moderate  number  of  colonies  to  care  for. 
It  is  hard  to  get  rid  of  the  weaker  colonies,  and  stay  rid  of  them,  but  they 
can  be  used  to  advantage,  for  good  queens  can  be  mated  or  kept  in  them 
until  they  are  needed  elsewhere.  Sometimes  they  will  store  a  few  pounds 
of   surplus  honey  during  a  heavy  flow.     But   generally   they  require   much 


86  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

attention  to  keep  them  from  running  short  of  stores,  or  to  keep  the  bee- 
moth   out   of  them   or   keep  them   from   dwindling  out. 

There  are  two  ways  of  getting  rid  of  these  weaker  colonies.  One  way 
is  to  unite  two  or  more  of  them  together  and  make  strong  colonies  of  them ; 
and  the  other  way  is  to  build  them  up  to  full  colonies  from  the  strongest 
ones. 

The  question  now  is,  "Does  it  pay  to  remove  some  sealed  brood  from 
the  strongest  colonies,  thereby  weakening  them,  and  give  it  to  the  weaker  ones 
to  build  them  up?"  Yes,  and  no,  if  it  can  be  done  long  enough  before  the 
approaching  honey-flow,  and  the  bees  given  constant  and  proper  attention.  A 
populous  or  strong  colony  has  a  prolific  queen  and  plenty  of  bees  to  nourish 
her  brood ;  and  if  an  empty  clean  comb  is  set  in  the  middle  of  the  brood-nest 
it  will  soon  be  full  of  eggs  and  brood,  and  the  colony  will  get  over  its  loss  of 
a  frame  of  brood  if  the  honey-flow  is  not  too  nearly  on  them ;  but  if  it  begins 
in  less  than  three  or  four  weeks  it  would  be  best  to  leave  the  brood  with  them, 
for  the  weak  colony  would  just  about  get  built  up  ready  for  honey-gather- 
ing at  the  close  of  the  flow;  but  if  the  work  was  done  in  time  it  would  be 
ready  for  the  flow,  and  the  other  colony  would  be  over  its  loss.  All  colonies 
thus  treated  should  be  stimulated  by  feeding  them  a  little.  If  the  weak 
colonies  are  very  weak  they  could  not  be  built  up  in  this  way  in  early  spring, 
tor  the  weather  would  not  be  favorable,  and  it  would  be  better  to  unite  them. 

During  summer,  when  bees  are  living  in  a  hand-to-mouth  manner,  or  a 
very  light  honey-flow  is  on,  it  is  a  good  time  to  build  up  colonies. 


HONEY-HOUSES. 

Every  progressive  apiary  should  have  a  honey-house  conveniently  located 
in  or  about  it  so  that  it  will  be  as  convenient  to  carry  the  honey  in  as  pos- 
sible, and  to  get  to  with  a  wagon  to  haul  it  away.  Honey  should  not  be 
kept  or  stored  in  our  dwelling-houses,  for  several  reasons.  It  will  draw 
the  ants  and  bees  into  the  house,  and  soil  the  floor  should  any  drip  on  it 
or  be  accidentally  dropped  on  it.  And  propolis,  or  bee-glue,  and  particles  of 
comb  will  get  mashed  on  it,  and  be  hard  to  remove ;  and,  in  fact  it  is  too 
messy  to  have  about  dwelling-houses.  It  is  not  a  good  idea  to  keep  bee- 
veils,  smokers,  hive-tools,  and  all  kinds  of  bee-supplies  about  the  dwellings 
or  premises,  for  they  are  likely  to  get  misplaced  or  be  in  the  way.  So 
there  can  be  no  question  that  every  bee-keeper  needs  and  shotild  have  a 
honey-house  to  keep  all  his  apiarian  supplies  and  honey  in,  only  as  they  are 
used. 

Honey-houses  are  variously  constructed,  and  of  different  sizes  to 
suit  the  needs  of  apiaries,  and  for  the  convenience  of  the  bee-keeper;  so 
each  bee-keeper  can  best  plan  and  build  his  own  honey-house. 

But  perhaps  a  few  suggestions  will  not  be  out  of  place.  If  a  bee- 
keeper operates  only  one  small  home  apiary,  and  does  not  care  to  keep  any 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  87 

more  bees,  a  small  house  6x8  feet  will  be  large  enough  to  keep  honey 
and  supplies,  and  to  set  them  up  in,  and  everything  used  in  bee-keeping  can 
be  kept  in  there  out  of  the  way,  and  safe.  Of  course,  if  the  apiary  is 
a  large  one  the  h6ney-house  should  be  larger;  and  if  out-apiaries  were 
established  the  honey-house  should  be  still  large  at  the  home  apiary,  so  that 
the  honey  from  out-apiaries  could  be  stored  in  it.  Honey-houses  at 
out-apiaries  should  be  constructed  of  i  x  12-inch  plank  in  sections  small 
enough  to  be  hauled  on  wagons.  It  is  not  necessary  to  put  a  floor  in 
these  outer  honey-houses;  but  the  main  honey-house  at  home  should. have 
a  wood  or  cement  floor,  because  there  is  always  more  or  less  dampness 
arising  from  the  earth,  and  honey-houses  should  be  kept  dry.  All  honey- 
houses  must  be  constructed  bee-proof,  or  have  no  openings  about  them 
that  will  admit  bees  through  them ;  for  after  the  honey  is  put  in  you  will 
not  want  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  putting  it  up  bee-proof;  besides,  you 
could  not  work  with  honey  during  the  day  if  the  house  were  not  bee-proof, 
for  the  bees  would  come  in  on  you.  Each  honey-house  must  have  a  door 
and  one  or  more  windows  in  it,  covered  with  screen  wire  on  the  outside,, 
making  it  bee-proof,  and  a  glass  or  wood  shutter  on  the  inside.  The  door 
should  have  a  wooden  shutter  on  the  outside,  and  a  sliding  screen-wire 
door  on  the  inside  that  will  make  the  opening  bee-proof.  These  shutters 
should  be  opened  while  working  in  the  house  during  warm  weather.  If 
the  apiaries  are  operated  for  extracted  honey  there  should  be  small  sliding 
windows  with  only  a  wood  shutter  in  each  house;  for  if  the  honey  is 
carried  in  at  the  door  a  few  bees  will  get  in  every  time  there  is  any 
carried  in,  and  they  will  be  killed  or  in  the  way;  but  the  window  can  be 
opened  and  shut  so  quick  that  only  a  few  if  any  bees  can  get  in  it.  On 
the  inside  of  these  small  windows  there  should  be  a  small  platform  or  shelf 
built  so  that  the  comb-buckets  containing  the  honey  can  be  pushed  in  on 
them,  and  the  buckets  containing  the  empty  comb  set  on  them  to  be  carried 
back  to  the  hives. 

Perhaps  the  cheapest  and  most  durable  honey-houses  can  be  con- 
structed out  of  I  X  12  plank  set  up  perpendicularly,  and  strips  nailed  over 
the  joints;  and  if  the  roof  has  a  very  good  pitch  to  it,  the  same  kind  of 
plank  will  make  a  good  cover  for  it,  nailing  down  wide  strips  over  the 
joints  well;  but  if  the  roof  is  nearly  flat  the  strips  should  be  left  off  and 
the  plank  covered  with  some  kind  of  prepared  roofing.  In  constructing  a 
honey-house  out  of  this  kind  of  material  there  is  but  very  little  framing  used 
in  it,  and  it  makes  a  good  strong  durable  honey-house,  and  is  easily  kept 
bee-proof,  and  costs  but  little,  and  is  easy  to  construct. 


WAX-RENDERING. 

Beeswax   is   a  part  of  the   product  of  the   apiary   for   which   there   is 

always  a  great  demand,  and  it  brings  a  good  price.    All  undesirable  combs, 

fragments  of  combs   scrapings   from  the   frames   and  interior  of  the  hives 

should  be  saved  and  rendered  into  wax,  and  the  bees  given  credit  for  it. 


88  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

In  going  over  the  apiaries,  all  scrapings  should  be  balled  up  at  each  hive, 
and,  when  the  cover  is  put  on,  the  ball  should  be  laid  on  top  of  it;  and, 
alter  the  work  is  done,  gather  up  tjie  balls  of  scrapings  and  comb,  and 
dump  them  into  the  wax-extractor.  In  transferring  bees  the  empty  comb 
can  be  left  in  the  old  hives  until  the  transferring  is  over;  but  if  there  is 
any  honey  in  the  comb  it  should  be  placed  in  sacks  or  in  boxes,  for  the 
bees  will  tear  the  comb  up  while  removing  the  honey,  and  much  of  it  be 
lost  if  it  is  left  scattered  about.  As  soon  as  the  transferring  is  over,  all 
comb  should  be  rendered  up. 

Almost  all  old  people  understand  how  to  make  beeswax  in  the  old- 
style  way,  and  it  is  a  very  good  way  too,  but  very  messy,  and  sometimes 
they  get  tired  of  the  job,  and  a  lot  of  wax  is  lost  in  the  slumgum. 

A  wax-extractor  is  the  best  device  to  render  comb  into  wax.  It 
saves  labor  and  wax,  costs  but  little,  and  is  simple  to  operate. 

After  all  the  inferior  comb  has  been  rendered  into  wax  in  an  apiary 
a  solar  wax-extractor  will  do  all  the  wax-rendering  for  it;  but  where  trans- 
ferring is  done,  or  a  lot  of  old  comb  is  to  be  rendered,  a  wax-extractor 
IS  necessary,  or  some  other  device ;  and  the  best  one  I  have  ever  tried  was 
made  out  of  an  old  box-hive  that  was  made  out  of  twelve-inch  plank.  •  I 
nailed  a  bottom  on  it  so  that  it  would  extend  out  five  or  six  inches  on  the 
same  side  the  entrance  was  on ;  then  I  tacked  two  small  strips  on  this 
extended  portion  of  the  bottom  so  that,  when  the  wax  would  run  out  at 
the  entrance,  it  would  run  off  in  a  narrow  stream.  I  make  a  stout  lattice 
bottom  and  put  it  down  in  the  hive  on  the  bottom  so  that  it  will  not  inter- 
fere with  the  flow  of  the  wax,  elevating  it  from  the  bottom  with  a  small 
strip  under  it  at  each  side.  I  set  the  hive  on  a  solid  foundation  where  I 
could  use  a  pry  to  press  the  slumgum.  In  this  I  put  a  new  strong  burlap 
sack  which  had  been  used  to  put  corn  in,  and  spread  the  mouth  of  the 
sack  over  the  top  of  the  gum,  and  tacked  it  to  the  hive  so  that,  when  the 
slumgum  was  poured  in  it,  it  would  not  fall  down  in  the  gum. 

Then  two  lard-cans  were  filled  about  a  third  full  of  water,  and  set  on 
the  fire;  and  as  soon  as  the  water  was  warm,  comb  was  added  from  time 
to  time  until  they  were  nearly  full.  As  soon  as  all  the  comb  was  melted, 
a  tub  was  set  under  the  extended  portion  of  the  bottom  so  as  to  catch  the 
wax  and  water;  then  the  cans  of  melted  comb  were  melted  into  the  sack  in 
the  gum,  the  mouth  of  the  sack  closed,  and  the  slumgum  moved  around 
in  the  gum  so  as  to  let  all  the  water  and  wax  escape  that  would,  then  the 
sack  was  well  folded  down  on  top  of  the  slumgum,  and  a  plunger,  made 
about  the  same  size  as  the  interior  of  the  gum,  and  the  pry  put  on  this, 
and  the  slumgum  well  pressed,  then  the  pry  removed,  and  the  slumgum 
shaken  up  well  and  pressed  again.  Now  the  cans  were  again  partly  filled 
with  water,  and  set  on  the  fire;  and,  while  the  water  was  heating,  nearly 
a  cupful  of  sulphuric  acid  was  poured  into  the  tub  of  water  and  wax  to 
drive  or  settle  the  impurities  to  the  bottom  of  the  tub;  then  the  wax  is 
dipped  off  the  top  of  the  water  and  poured  into  vessels  to  cake. 


SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 


89 


By  this  time  the  water  is  warm  in  the  cans,  and  the  comb  can  be  put 
in;  and,  during  this  time,  the  slumgum  can  be  removed  from  the  sack  and 
it  is  placed  back  in  the  gum   and  preparations  made  for  another  pressing. 

I  have  made  several  hundred  pounds  of  wax  in  one  season  with  this 
device;  but  if  only  a  small  amount  of  comb  is  to  be  rendered,  a  much 
smaller  device  of  the  same  kind  can  be  constructed.  Care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  melting  comb  around  stoves;  for  when  hot  it  will  burn  like  oil.  It 
should  be  melted  in  pots  and  cans  over  a  slow  fire. 


COMB  FOUNDATION. 

Comb  which  the  bees  have  built  to  store  honey  and  rear  their  young 
in  is  saved  by  bee-keepers  all  over  the  United  States,  and  rendered  into 
beeswax  by  them;  and  then  it  is  gathered  up  by  agents  and  shipped  to 
the  manufacturer  of  bee-supplies,  and  there  it  is  refined  and  all  the  impuri- 
ties removed  from  it ;  and  it  is  also  bleached  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  then 


Extra  thin  Super 


Thin  Super. 


Light  Brood. 


Medium  Brood. 


run  through  a  roller  process  which  forms  the  bottom  and  starts  the  walls 
of  the  cells  just  as  the  bees  would  do  it,  and  therefore  is  no  artificial  comb,  as 
it  is  often  called,  but  a  pure  article  of  comb  made  by  bees,  and  purified  and 
formed  by  man. 

Perhaps  next  to  the  invention  of  movable  frames  or  modern  hives 
comes  the  invention  of  comb  foundation.  By  the  use  of  it  the  bee-keeper 
can  have  the  comb  built  where  he  wants  it  and  as  he  wants  it  in  the  hives. 
Otherwise,  if  it  is  left  to  the  bees  to  start  their  comb  they  will  bufild  it 
angling  or  crosswise  of  the  frames,  and  thus  spoil  the  greatest  feature  of 
the  modern  hive,  because  the  frames  can  not  be  handled,  and  the  needs  of 
the  bees  investigated  and  supplied.  But  if  only  a  small  strip  or  starter 
is  used  in  the  frames  and  sections,  the  bees  will,  from  this,  build  their 
comb  straight,  the  foundation  guiding  them. 

Another  important  feature  in  the  use  of  foundation  is  that  you  can 
have  all  your  comb  built  with  cells  worker   size  by  using  full  sheets  of  it. 


90  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

Otherwise,  if  it  is  left  to  the  bees  they  will  build  more  or  less  drone 
comb  (comb  with  large  cells),  and  each  season  rear  a  large  army  of  drones 
which  are  useless  consumers.  For  further  benefits  derived  from  the  use 
of  foundation,  see  "Economy  in  Bee-keeping." 


ROBBER  BEES. 

I  once  heard  a  veteran  bee-keeper  remark  that  honey-bees  are  in 
some  particulars  more  like  the  human  race  than  any  other  living  object. 
I  do  not  know  that  this  is  true;  but  I  do  know  that  they  are  similar  in 
some  particulars;  and  one  is,  taking  what  is  another's,  or  robbing  each 
other,  whenever  occasion  permits.  The  bee's  desire  for  honey  seems  to  be 
about  as  strong  as  man's  desire  for  money,  and  will  go  right  between 
the  jaws  of  death  for  it.  Bees  in  one  hive  have  no  feeling  at  all  for  bees 
in  another  hive;  and  if  they  are  permitted  they  will  enter  each  other's 
hives  and  remove  the  last  drop  of  their  honey,  showing  no  mercy  at  all 
There  are  more  or  less  robbers  in  each  apiary,  but  the  larger  the  apiary 
the  more  robbers  there  will  be,  and,  of  course,  the  more  mischief  they  will 
do.  There  seem  to  be  some  bees  more  roguish  than  others ;  and  as  soon 
as  they  get  to  stealing  from  some  poor  helpless  colony  the  fact  is  made 
known  to  all  their  sisters,  and  they  all  prove  to  be  robbers.  Strong  colonies 
will  defend  themselves;  but  the  weak  ones  are  subject  to  them  at  any  time, 
and  for  that  reason  the  entrances  of  nuclei  or  very  weak  colonies  should  be 
kept  contracted  to  a  very  small  opening  so  that  they  can  better  defend 
themselves. 

Robber  bees  can  be  easily  detected  by  the  way  they  behave  around 
the  entrances  of  other  colonies.  They  fly  with  outstretched  legs,  collect 
around  the  bees  which  are  standing  guard  at  the  entrances,  and  even 
alight  near  and  sometimes  right  among  the  guards  which  are  awaiting  their 
chance  to  kill  them,  and  many  of  them  are  thus  killed.  Sometimes  robber 
bees  have  their  profession  so  nearly  mastered  that  they  can  alight  down 
among  the  guards  as  the  field-bees  do,  and  pass  in  the  hive  and  fill  them- 
selves with  honey,  and  escape  out  without  seeming  to  be  detected  by  the 
bees ;  but  these  "slick"  robbers  are  scarce,  and  soon  disappear,  or  can  be 
found  on  the  ground  in  front  of  some  strong  colony  dead,  their  bodies 
punctured  with  stings.  After  the  robber  bees  have  overpowered  some  help- 
less, weak  colony,  and  are  fast  carrying  out  their  stores,  it  is  more  difficult 
to  detect  them;  but  it  will  be  seen  that  they  fly  from  the  alighting-board 
heavy,  and  some  of  them  have  made  such  "hogs"  of  themselves  that  they 
attempt  to  fly,  but  fall  on  to  the  ground,  and  a  number  of  them  may  be 
seen  climbing  up  on  grass  or  weeds,  so  that  they  will  have  a  start  to  fly- 
Tlien  if  you  will  open  the  hive  you  will  see  them  at  their  mischief,  carrying 
out   the    honey,    tearing    down    the    comb,    and    running    over    the    helpless 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CXJLTURE  91 

inmates  of  the  hive.  The  best  treatment  for  a  hive  thus  pillaged  is  to  re- 
move all  frames  containing  honey,  and  the  robbers  will  soon  disappear; 
then  exchange  these  removed  frames  for  frames  of  hatching  brood  from 
other  colonies,  and  set  them  in  the  hive  and  close  the  entrance  up  completely 
with  wire  cloth  for  two  days;  then,  remove  the  wire  entrance  near  night, 
and  contract  it  so  only  one  bee  can  pass.  By  this  time  the  bees  will  be  over 
their  struggle  with  the  robbers,  and,  more  bees  being  hatched  out,  they 
will  set  up  a  defense  and  protect  themselves. 

If  the  hive  thus  affected  by  robbers  should  be  a  strong  one,  all  that 
is  necessary  is  to  fill  the  entrance  with  some  grass  or  weeds  until  night 
then  they  can  be  removed  and  the  entrance  contracted.  During  the  night 
the  bees  will  come  to  their  senses  and  kill  the  robbers  (those  that  do  not 
escape)  and  will  set  up  a  strong  defense  next  morning,  and  likely  will 
defend  themselves. 

Sometimes  bee-keepers  cause  robbing  by  carelessly  leaving  honey  cut 
around  the  apiary,  or  the  honey-house  door  open.  When  there  is  no  honey- 
flow  on,  bees  are  much  worse  to  rob,  and  just  a  little  sweet  carried  into 
the  hives  by  the  professional  robber  will  cause  a  great  excitement  in  the 
apiary,  and  some  damage  is  sure  to  be  done;  hence  great  caution  should 
be  used  in  handling  sweets  about  the  apiary.  Bees  should  not  be  fed  until 
aljout  night ;  for  if  the  fact  is  made  known  to  them  that  there  are  obtainable 
sweets,  many  of  them,  not  knowing  where  the  feed  is,  will  rush  out  of 
the  hives  and  make  great  efforts  to  get  in  other  hives,  and  perhaps  will, 
and  many  bees  will  be  lost. 

If  robbers  collect  too  thickly  about  hives  while  extracting,  the  combs 
should  be  stacked  up  in  the  honey-house  until  about  night,  then  given  back 
to  the  bees,  for  this  will  greatly  decrease  the  number  of  them;  then  if 
they  should  collect  too  thickly,  the  extracting  should  be  postponed  until 
the  next  honey-flow,  or  done  at  intervals. 


FERTILE  WORKERS. 

Fertile  workers,  or,  rather,  laying  workers,  may  appear  in  any  neglected 
apiary.  When  a  colony  of  bees  loses  its  queen  and  has  no  brood,  or  is  not  sup- 
plied with  any  from  which  to  raise  them  another  queen,  they  are  hopeless,  and 
they  fully  realize  it,  and  their  last  and  only  resort  is  for  some  worker  or 
workers  to  take  upon  themselves  to  lay  eggs  to  continue  the  existence 
of  the  colony.  But  this  last  effort  is  a  failure,  because  worker  bees  can 
lay  only  unfertile  eggs,  which  hatch  drones  or  useless  consumers,  and 
soon  t4ie  colony  is  in  the  hands  of  the  bee-moth,  and  destroyed,  for  the 
bees  fast  diminish,  and  soon  the  colony  is  weak. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  tell  when  a  colony  of  bees  is  affected  by  laying 
workers,  for  they  will  not  deposit  their  eggs  in  regular  order  in  the  cells  as 
a  laying  queen  will,  for  sometimes  they  will  lay  more  than  half  a  dozen  eggs 
in  one  cell,  and  very  often  more  than  one;  and  to  be  sure  that  the  colony 


92  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

is  affected  by  them  it  can  be  easily  examined ;  and  if  there  is  no  queen 
present,  there  are  fertile  workers.  It  is  useless  to  try  to  introduce  laying 
queens  to  colonies  thus  affected,  for  the  bees  will  kill  them,  and  they 
wiir  not  always  accept  a  queen-cell,  especially  if  the  colony  has  been  affected 
by  them  for  some  time;  but  if  not,  they  may  accept  a  ripe  queen-cell  (one 
nearly  ready  to  hatch),  and  the  colony  be  saved;  otherwise  it  had  better  be 
broken  up  and  the  combs  given  to  colonies,  for  the  bees  are  very  old,  and 
will  soon  die,  and  not  be  of  much  value  anyway;  but  if  the  colony  is  strong, 
exchange  the  frames  for  hatching  brood  from  strong  colonies,  and  in  a  few 
days  there  will  be  many  young  bees  in  the  hive,  and  they  will  accept  a 
queen  or  a  queen-cell,  and  perhaps  already  have  cells  started,  if  there 
should  be  any  very  young  bees  in  the  cell  of  the  proper  age  to  raise  a  queen 
from. 

Fertile  or  laying  workers  are  a  pest,  and  no  apiary  or  colony  of  bees 
should  be  so  neglected  as  to  be  become  affected  by  them. 


QUEEN-REARING. 

Queen-rearing  is  a  very  important  part  of  bee-keeping,  but  comes  on 
later,  after  the  bee-keeper  has  done  considerable  practical  work  among 
his  bees  and  has '  given  them  much  thought,  and  has  his  apiary  in  a 
progressive  condition.  If  queen-rearing  is  taken  up  at  the  same  time  bee- 
keeping is,  you  have  bitten  off  too  much  at  one  time,  for  it  is  enough  to 
study  and  care  for  your  bees  at  first,  and,  later,  you  will  gradually  grow 
into  queen-rearing  anyway.  But 'don't  wait  until  you  acquire  this  knowledge 
before  you  supply  your  colonies  with  good  queens,  select  yourself  a  queen- 
breeder  or  a  bee-keeper  who  raises  a  surplus  of  queens,  and  has  some  to 
sell.  He  will  furnish  you  with  good  queens  at  a  reasonable  price,  and  at  the 
same  time  give  you  all  needed  instructions  to  introduce  them  successfully 
to  the  colonies. 

It  is  not  a  good  idea  to  buy  queens  from  different  queen-breeders,  for 
you  are  likely  to  get  your  stock  mixed,  and  it  will  give  you  a  lot  of  trouble. 
So  it  is  best  to  select  yourself  a  queen-breeder  who  is  making  a  specialty  of 
the  strain  of  bees  you  wish  to  keep. 

It  is  poor  policy  to  begin  bee-keeping  with  an  inferior  or  run-down 
strain  of  bees  to  practice  with,  or  to  gain  knowledge  from,  for  it  is  uphill, 
and  steep  at  that,  and  results  are  not  at  all  satisfactory;  and  I  want  to 
emphasize  this  fact,  because  it  is  the  cause  of  there  being  no  more  progressive 
apiaries  in  the  South  than  there  are.  So  it  is  very  necessary  to  have  a  good 
tested  queen  in  each  hive  as  soon  as  we  start  bee-keeping. 

But  going  back  to  the  subject  of  raising  queens,  it  will  be  noticed  that, 
under  the  heading  of  "Honey-bees,"  a  queen  bee  is  developed  by  the 
worker  bees  by  highly   feeding   her,   and  by  the  care   they  give  it,   and,  of 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  93 

course,  the  more  bees  there  are  in  the  hive  to  feed  and  care  for  it  while  it 
is  developing,  the  better  the  queen  she  will  be.  So  to  expect  the  very  best 
queens,  we  must  have  strong  populous  colonies  to  develop  them. 

It  is.  not  necessary  .for  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  queens 
should  be  raised  from  the  very  best  queens  obtainable,  as  we  would  breed 
from  the  best  stock  of  animals  to  expect  the  best  results  of  them.  If  we 
develop  queens  in  strong  colonies  from  the  larvae,  or  very  young  bees, 
of  a  queen  whose  workers  are  great  honey-gatherers,  we  may  expect  good 
prolific  queens,  and  that  their  workers  will  also  be  good  honey-gatherers. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  a  queen  is  raised  by  a  small  colony  of  bees  from 
poor  stock  we  could  expect  only  a  poor  queen.  So  whatever  the  character- 
istics of  the  queen  are,  her  offspring  will  possess ;  and  if  she  is  not  properly 
cared  for  while  developing  she  will  be  dwarfed,  and  her  colony  of  workers 
will  be  small,  and  results  will  not  be  satisfactory.  If  we  will  look  after 
our  queens,  and  give  them  the  proper  showing,  we  need  not  fret  about 
the  honey  that  is  going  to  waste  around  us,  for  she  will  produce  bees  and 
save  it,  if  weather  permits. 

It  is  evident,  from  what  has  been  said,  that  the  queen  is  the  main 
bee  in  the  hive,  and  that  her  progeny  is  a  matter  of  great  importance  in 
keeping  bees  for  cents  and  dollars. 

In  a  few  hours  after  a  colony  of  bees  has  been  made  queenless  they 
will  start  to  raise  them  another  queen;  and  to  make  sure  of  this  they  will 
start  a  number  of  cells.  Or  if  their  mother  is  old,  and  shows  signs  of  fail- 
ing to  keep"  up  the  colony,  they  may  set  to  work  to  raise  them  anot'ier 
queen  to  supersede  their  mother.  Or  if  they  decide  to  swarm  they  will 
begin  to  raise  them  another  queen  to  take  the  place  of  their  mother  after 
she  goes  out  vvith  the  swarm. 

Good  queens  can  be  raised  in  strong  colonies  almost  any  time  during 
spring,  summer,  and  fall  when  there  is  some  honey  coming  in  and  the 
weather  is  warm. 

Now,  if  you  have  the  experience  and  desire  to  raise  queens  in  a 
wholesale  way  for  the  market  you  should  get  a  queen-rearing  outfit  and 
book  of  instructions,  and  read  it  over  several  times,  and  study  it  until  ycu 
have  the  work  clear  in  your  mind  and  then  proceed,  following  instructions 
as  nearly  as  possible.  If  you  desire  to  raise  only  a  few  good  queens  to 
supply  your  own  apiary  or  apiaries,  and  perhaps  a  few  surplus  ones  to  sell, 
and  the  queens  are  desired  in  early  spring  before  swarming  time,  as  soon 
as  the  weather  warms  up  a  little  and  some  honey  and  pollen  are  coming  in 
from  the  earliest  honey  and  pollen  plants,  kill  or  remove  the  queen  in  the 
apiary  that  is  giving  the  poorest  results,  then  on  the  next  day  go  to  the 
strongest  colony  and  lift  the  frames  out  carefully,  and  examine  them  closely 
for  the  queen;  and  when  you  find  her,  set  the  frame  she  is  on  carefully 
beside  the  hive  to  itself.  Now  lift  out  all  the  remaining  frames  in  the 
hive  which  have  any  brood  in  them  of  any  consequence;  then  set  the 
frame  containing  the  queen  back  in  the  hive,  and  all  the  frames  of  honey, 
and  those   that   may  have  a   small   patch  of  brood   in   them,  pushing  them 


94  SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 

-up  close  to  get  her  to  one  side  of  the  hive  with  the  frame  the  queen  is  on  in 
the  middle.  Now  put  a  queen-excluding  honey-board  on  the  hive,  afid 
an  empty  hive-body  on  top  of  th-is ;  then  set  the  frames  of  brood  and  the 
adhering  bees  in  the  empty  hive  and  push  the  frames  to  one  side  of  the 
hive  just  over  the  frames  in  the  lower  hive.  Now  set  the  division-board  in 
the  top,  hive  close  beside  the  outside  frame  of  brood;  then  set  a  feeder  in 
this  opeq  space  between  the  side  of  the  hive  and  division-board,  and  fill 
it  full  of  feed  and  put  the  cover  on. 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day  go  back  to  the  hive  you  had  killed  the 
inferior  queen  in  two  days  previously,  and  lift  out  all  the  frames  except 
two  or  three  which  have  only  scattered  honey  around  in  them;  and  as  you 
lift  the  frames  out,  brush  all  the  bees  off  the  comb  back  in  the  hive  and 
put  the  cover  back  on.  Now  take  these  five  or  six  frames  from  which 
you  have  brushed  the  bees  and  carry  them  to  the  hive  you  had,  one  day 
previously,  divided  into  two  parts,  and  lift  the  top  story  off  gently  and  re- 
move the  queen-excluding  board;  then  look  over  carefully  the  frames  you 
have  carried  to  the  hive,  and  set  all  of  them  to  one  side  in  which  the 
bees  have  started  queen-cells  (it  is  likely  they  have  started  a  nice  batch 
of  them  by  this  time).  Then  set  the  frames  that  have  no  queen-cells  in 
them  in  the  bottom  story  of  the  hive,  which  will  be  about  enough  to 
finish  filling  it,  and  the  queen  you  have  confined  to  the  bottom  story  now 
has  another  full  set  of  frames  to  occupy. 

Now  put  the  queen-excluding  board  back  on  the  lower  story,  and  set 
back  the  top  story  on  this.  Now  make  a  little  grafting-tool  by  sticking 
the  sharp  end  of  a  pin  in  the  hollow  of  a  broom  straw,  and  with  the  head 
of  the  pin  remove  all  the  larvae,  or  yoimg  bees,  you  find  in  the  queen-cells 
started  about  on  the  comb  which  you  brought  to  this  hive. 

Now  take  out  one  of  the  frames  in  the  top  story;  then  begin  to 
graft  the  cells  by  inserting  the  grafting-tool,  or  the  head  of  the  pin,  down 
in  the  cells,  gently  working  the  head  up  under  the  tiny  larva ;  then  lift  it 
out  gently  and  insert  it  in  the  queen-cell  and  leave  the  larvae  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  cells  from  which  you  removed  the  other  young  bees.  Be 
careful  in  this  operation  not  to  mash  the  tiny  bee,  but  gently  remove  it 
from  the  head  of  the  pin  on  to  the  royal  jelly. 

The  larvs  for  this  purpose  must  be  very  small,  or  not  over  three  days  old, 
and  two  days  is  better.  After  you  have  thus  grafted  all  the  queen-cells  started 
in  the  comb  you  have  brought  to  the  hive,  set  the  frames  in  the  top  story, 
and  again  fill  the  feeder  up  and  put  the  cover  on. 

Now,  as  there  is  no  queen  present  in  this  top  story  (she  being  con- 
fined to  the  bottom  story  by  the  queen-excluding  board),  the  bees  seem 
queenless;  and  the  feed  being  scattered  plentifully  over  the  comb,  the  bees 
will  feed  the  larvae  well,  and  good  cells  will  be  built.  Bees  will  often  build 
cells  when  their  brood  is  put  up  in  top  stories  and  no  queen  present;  and 
they  are  sure  to  if  started  cells  are  given  them,  and  they  may  build  a  nice 
batch  of  fine  cells.     But  during  this  operation  the  weather  must  not  be  too 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  95 

cool  or   the  tiny  bees   in   the   cells   will  get  chilled   and   not  produce  good 
queens. 

Let  us  now  go  back  to  the  colony  we  made  queenless  and  left  two  or 
three  frames  of  honey  with.  As  soon  as  we  get  through  grafting  the 
cells  in  the  other  colony,  and  the  cover  is  on,  they  should  have  a  little 
attention.  Part  the  frames  so  the  bees  can  cluster  between  the  combs; 
and  as  soon  as  they  are  all  in  the  hive  late  in  the  afternoon,  they  are  in 
the  best  possible  condition  to  unite,  and  should  be  united  with  the  next 
weakest  colony  (see  "Uniting  Bees"). 

Eight  or  nine  days  after  the  cells  are  grafted,  go  back  and  look  over 
the  comb  and  see  how  many  cells  they  have  finished,  and  you  will  know 
how  many  places  to  prepare  for  them ;  then  if  you  have  some  inferior  queens 
you  wish  to  supersede,  kill  them,  but  not  to  exceed  the  number  of  cells 
you  have.  Then  on  the  next  day,  or  ten  days  from  the  time  the  cells  were 
grafted,  remove  the  cells  from  the  comb  by  cutting  around  them  care- 
fully with  a  knife;  but  be  sure  not  to  cut  into  them  or  you  may  injure 
them.  Then  lift  them  from  the  comb  and  place  them  in  cell-protectors ;  and 
"be  sure  not  to  tumble  them  about,  for  it  is  best  to  keep  them  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  the  same  position  that  they  were  in  on  the  comb. 

After  all  the  cells  but  one  have  been  removed  from  the  comb  and 
place3  in  the  cell-protectors,  they  are  ready  to  be  distributed  around  to 
the  colonies  made  queenless  the  day  previous.  The  object  of  making  the 
colonies  queenless  previous  to  giving  them  cells  is  that  they  have  had 
time  to  discover  that  they  are  queenless;  for  should  the  young  queen 
emerge  from  the  cell  before  they  were  aware  of  their  queen  being  gone, 
they  might  kill  them  as  soon  as  they  emerged. 

Queen-cells  should  be  inserted  in  the  comb  among  the  bees  where  they 
can  care  for  them  and  keep  them  warm  until  they  hatch. 

Now,  the  top  hive  with  all  the  frames  and  adhering  bees  and  the  one 
queen-cell  can  be  put  on  another  stand ;  and  the  bees  confined  in  it  for  a  day 
will  cause  them  to  mark  their  new  home,  and  you  will  soon  have  another 
good  colony  of  bees.  If  you  have  no  need  of  all  the  cells,  and  would 
like  to  turn  them  into  a  little  cash  later,  divide  the  frames  in  the  top  story 
into  two,  three,  or  four  frame  nuclei,  and  give  each  one  a  cell,  and  con- 
fine them  in  the  hive  as  you  would  a  full  colony,  so  that  they  will  mark  their 
new  home. 

In  one  or  two  days  the  queens  will  emerge  from  the  cells,  and  in 
ten  or  twelve  days  will  be  laying. 

This  is  a  plan  to  raise  good  queens  at  "any  suitable  time  of  the  year; 
hut  the  same  result  can  be  obtained  by  watching  the  cells  closely  in  hives 
where  bees  have  swarmed;  and  as  soon  as  the  bees  begin  to  thm  them 
down  at  the  ends,  remove  all  the  cells  but  one  or  two,  and  requeen  with 
them  or  distribute  them  about  in  nuclei  (hives  with  only  two,  three  or 
four  combs  in  them,  and  a  part  or  a  very  small  swarm  of  bees).  When 
"bees  are  superseding  their  queen  you  can  also  get  a  good  batch  of  queen- 
cells  which  can  be  used  in  like  manner. 

It  is  not  good  policy  to  remove  a  good  queen  from  her  colony  just 
to  get  her  bees  to  build  queen-cells  when  you  can  get  the  same  results  by 


96  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

keeping  her  in  the  hive  laying,  and  keeping  up  the  colony.  If  it  is  desired  to 
keep  the  bees  in  the  prepared  top  stories  building  queen-cells,  keep  them 
brooded  and  supplied  with  started  cells,  and  feed  slowly  if  there  is  no  honey 
coming  in. 

In  commercial  queen-rearing,  queen-breeders  usually  use  cell-cups,  and 
not  have  the  bees  to  build  the  cells  around  over  the  comb.  This  is  more 
convenient,  and  does  away  with  the  cutting  of  holes  through  our  nice 
combs  to  remove  the  cells.  Of  course,  the  same  results  will  be  obtained 
by  having  the  bees  to  build  the  cells  over  the  cell-cups  in  top  stories 
debarred  from  queens,  and  full  of  young  bees  and  brood. 

Where  bees  are  allowed  to  build  queen-cells  over  the  comb,  some 
precautions  must  be  observed  or  the  bees  may  build  cells  over  undesirable 
larvae.  To  avoid  this,  when  a  batch  of  cells  are  grafted  insert  a  small  nail 
in  the  comb  above  each  one ;  then  if  it  is  desired  to  graft  another  batch  three 
days  later  in' the  same  top  story,  insert  the  nails  in  the  comb  to  the  right 
of  the  grafted  cells;  then  if  it  is  desired  to  graft  another  batch  of  cells 
three  days  later,  insert  the  nails  in  the  comb  to  the  left  of  the  cells.  In 
this  way  you  know  the  contents  of  the  cells,  and  when  each  batch  shoufd 
be  removed.  In  nine  days,  and  not  later  than  ten  from  the  time  the  cells 
are  grafted,  they  should  be  removed  and  placed  in  cell-protectors  and  dis- 
tributed around  in  nuclei  or  wherever  they  are  to  be  placed,  to  emerge 
from  the  cells  and  be  mated. 

.Many  of  the  queen-cells  built  around  on  combs  can  be  removed  without 
cutting  through  the  segment  of  the  comb  by  using  the  small  blade  of  a 
knife,  cracked  near  the  point ;  and  if  a  cell  should  be  slightly  punctured 
where  it  was  connected  with  the  segment  of  the  comb  it  should  be  im- 
mediately squeezed  together;  and  when  inserted  in  the  cell-protector  the 
cover  should  be  placed  down  on  it. 

If  holes  are  made  through  the  comb  to  remove  cells,  sooner  or  later  the 
bees  will,  fill  them  up  and  the  comb  will  not  be  damaged  much. 

Queens  should  not  be  allowed  to  emerge  from  their  cells  in  the  cell- 
building  colonies,  for  they  will  destroy  the  other  cells.  During  heavy  honey- 
flows  as  much  as  two  empty  combs  should  be  kept  in  the  cell-building  supers 
or  top  stories  to  keep  the  colonies  from  swarming,  or  a  super  of  shallow 
frames  can  be  inserted  between  the  two  stories. 


HALL'S   METHOD   OF  QUEEN-REARING. 

THE    HIVE    FOR    CEU.-BUILDING. 

Make  the  hive  wide  enough  to  hold  fifteen  or  twenty  full-depth  brood- 
frames,  and  make  the  entrance  at  the  side  of  the  hive  instead  of  the  end, 
with  a  wide  alighting-board;  then  make  a  close-fitting  division-board  of 
queen-excluding  zinc,  so  that,  when  the  cover  is  on  the  hive,  there  is  no 
chance  for  the  queen  to  pass  from  one  apartment  to  the  other.     Place  the 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  97 

division-board  in  the  hive  so  there  will  be  just  room  enough  for  six  brood- 
frames  between  it  and  the  side  of  the  hive  where  the  entrance  is.  This  six- 
frame  apartment  next  to  the  entrance  is  for  the  queen  to  occupy,  and  she 
should  never  be  allowed  to  enter  the  other  twelve  or  fourteen  frame  apart- 
ments of  the  hive,  which  is  for  cell-building.  The  cover  for  the  hive  should 
be  made  in  two  sections — one  covering  the  queen's  apartment  and  the  other 
the  cell-building  apartment,  so  that  the  bees  will  not  be  disturbed  in  both 
apartments  by  removing  the  cover  when  it  would  not  be  necessary. 

THE  COLONY  OF  BEES  FOR  THE  HIVE. 

A  very  strong  colony  should  be  selected  for  this  hive,  one  that  will 
build  a  large  number  of  very  fine*  large  cells.  Place  the  queen  and  six 
frames  of  unsealed  brood  in  her  apartment  of  the  hive  close  up  to  the 
division-board  and  put  the  cover  on  her  apartment ;  then  place  the  frames  of 
sealed  and  hatching  brood  in  the  cell-building  apartment  close  up  to  the 
division-board,  and  keep  the  frames  on  either  side  jammed  up  to  it,  and  put 
the  cover  on  this  apartment. 

DIPPING-STICKS  AND  CELL-MAKING. 

Make  as  many  dipping-sticks  as  you  think  you  will  need,  out  of  woo4 
that  will  finish  up  smooth;  then  round  them  up  so  that  they  will  be  about 
as  large  as  a  pencil,  or  just  a  little  larger,  and  round  them  off  at  the  dipping 
ends  so  that  they  will  be  as  near  the  shape  of  natural  queen-cells  as 
possible;  then  tack  them  on  a  small  thin  strip  of  soft  lumber  by  driving 
the  nails  through  the  strip  into  the  dipping-stick.  The  apparatus  now 
resembles  a  very  small  close  tooth-rake.  Clean  the  dipping-sticks  up  well 
so  they  will  be  as  smooth  as  possible ;  then  place  them  in  water,  before  using, 
long  enough  for  them  to  be  thoroughly  soaked,  and  the  hot  wax  will  not 
adhere  to  them. 

The  wax  for  cell-cups  should  be  thoroughly  clean,  and  just  hot  enough 
to  run  freely;  then  insert  the  prepared  sticks  into  it  about  Yt  or  Ys,  inch, 
and  continue  to  insert  them  in  it  until  they  are  thick  enough  to  stand 
handling;  then'  remove  them.  The  kink  of  forming  celj-cups  is  soon 
learned  by  a  little  practice. 

GIVING  THE  CELLS  TO  THE  BEES  IN  THE  CELL-BUILDING 
APARTMENT. 
Select   two   of    the   best    frames   of   unsealed   brood    from    the   queen's 
apartment,  or  any  other  colony  in  the  apiary  that  may  have  choice  combs 
of  unsealed  brood   (always  leaving  the  queen  in  her  room),  and  insert  two 
other  frames  in  their  places. 

Now  stick  as  many  of  the  prepared  cells  as  you  desire  on  one  side 
of  these  combs,  and  press  them  in  the  comb  so  that  the  mouth  of  the 
cell-cups  will  extend  downward,  and  just  a  little  out  beyond  the  surface 
of  the  comb,  so  that  they  can  be  easily  grafted.     If  you  have  a  large  batch 


g8  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

of  cells,  place  them  in  rows  on  the  comb  about  VA  inches  apart,  and  about 
one  inch  between  them.  When  all  the  cell-cups  have  been  carefully  placed 
in  the  face  of  this  side  of  this  comb,  move  all  the  combs  except  two  back 
from  the  division-board  in  the  cellrbuilding  apartment,  and  put  in  the  two 
frames  of  unsealed  brood,  one  of  which  contains  the  prepared  cell-cups 
inserted  in  one  side  of  it,  close  up  to  the  two  frames  left  next  to  the  division- 
board,  so  that  the  cells  will  be  between  the  two  frames  of  unsealed  brood. 
In  about  two  hours  the  bees  will  have  the  cells  polished,  trimmed  round 
and  even,  and  attached  well  to  the  comb;  and  they  are  warm,  being  of 
the  same  temperature  as  the  interior  of  the  hive,  and  in  the  best  possible 
condition  for  grafting. 

THE  GRAFTING-STICK. 

A  piece  of  green  hickory  or  white  oak,  or  any  kind  of  wood  that  will 
bend  and  not  break,  will  make  a  good  grafting-stick.  Make  it  about  three 
or  four  inches  long,  and  about  the  size  of  a  toothpick  made  out  of  a  feather, 
and  shave  one  end  down  to  a  feather  edge,  and  trim  it  until  it  is  about  Ss 
wide  as  the  point  of  a  pen ;  then  curve  the  end  so  it  will  dip  out  tiny 
larvae. 

GRAFTING  CELLS. 

Select  a  comb  containing  very  small  or  tiny  larvae  from  the  colony 
containing  our  breeding-queen,  and  remove  the  comb  from  the  cell-building 
colony  which  contains  the  prepared  cell-cups,  and  place  it  in  position  so  that 
the  mouth  of  the  cells  will  extend  upward,  and  the  bottoms  be  clearly  and 
easily  seen.  Now  take  the  selected  comb  of  tiny  larvae  in  hand,  and,  with 
the  grafting-stick,  proceed  to  dip  out  the  larvae  carefully,  and  place  them 
gently  in  the  bottoms  of  the  cells  by  giving  the  stick  a  side  move. 

When  all  the  cells  have  been  thus  grafted,  set  the  comb  back  in  its- 
place  in  the  cell-building  colony.  The  other  frame  of  unsealed  larvae 
should  not  be  so  close  to  the  side  of  the  comb  containing  the  grafted  cell- 
cups  that  the  bees  will  attach  them  to  it  while  building  them  out.  Make  the 
date  of  grafting  on  the  top-bar  so  you  can  tell  when  the  cells  are  ripe. 
Place  the  cover  on,  and  in  24  hours  examine  the  cells  and  remove  those 
that  the  bees  have  not  accepted,  and  they  will  do  for  the  next  grafting, 
which  can  be  done  six  days  later. 

Grafting  should  be  done  during  the  warm  part  of  the  day,  and  the 
larvae  should  never  be  exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 

In  nine  or  ten  days  the  cells  will  be  ready  to  be  removed  and  placed 
in  cell-protectors,  and  distributed  out  in  nuclei  or  queenless  colonies  pre- 
pared for  them. 

If  it  is  desired  to  raise  queens  in  a  wholesale  way,  have  the  cells 
started  in  three  or  four  frame  nuclei  which  have  been  made  queenless 
for  24  hours  previous  to  the  time  the  prepared  cell-cups  are  given  them 
to  be  polished,  trimmed,  and  cleaned  up.  Of  course,  the  cells  should  be 
inserted    on    the    side    of   the    comb    containing    most    unsealed    brood,    and 


SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE  99 

grafted  as  previously  explained,  and  given  back  to  the  nuclei  for  24  hours, 
then  removed  to  the  cell-building  colony  and  placed  between  two  frames 
of  unsealed  brood  as  previously  explained. 

This  process  of  cell-building  can  be  carried  on  throughout  the  season, 
but  a  honey-flow  or  feeding  is  absolutely  necessary.  Thus  you  see  the  cells 
are  between  two  solid  walls  of  unsealed  brood,  and  right  in  the  comb; 
and  it  is  the  nearest  method  to  nature's  way  of  building  cells  of  which  I 
have  any  knowledge.  No  royal  jelly  is  necessary,  and  no  cell-holders  or 
cell-bars  are  to  be  bothered  with.  Large  queens  are  not  always  developed 
in  large  cells;  but  large  cells  are  most  likely  to  contain  large  queens. 

T.  S.  Hall, 

Jasper, 

Ga. 


FINDING    AND    INTRODUCING    QUEENS. 

Tlie  queen  is  the  only  perfectly  developed  female  in  the  hive,  and  her 
size  is  between  that  of  a  worker  and  a  drone;  but  her  abdomen  is  about  a 
third  longer  than  that  of  a  worker  and  about  a  third  larger;  is  richer  in 
color  than  the  worker,  and  can  easily  be  distinguished  from  a  drone  be- 
cause she  is  more  in  the  shape  of  a  worker.  Usually  there  is  only  one  queen 
in  a  hive;  and  sometimes,  but  not  often,  two,  for  the  bees  discover  that  their 
mother  is  failing,  and  raise  ihem  another  one  to  take  her  place,  when  she 
will  be  permitted  to  remain  in  the  hive  with  her  daughter  for  a  while. 

The  queen  is  the  mother  of  all  bees  in  the  hive,  which  are  from  30,000 
to  50,coo  strong;  and,  of  course,  to  find  her  in  this  mighty  army  of  bees  is 
often  no  small  task.  Remove  the  cover  from  the  colony  you  wish  to  find  the 
queen  in,  and  use  no  more  smoke  than  just  enough  to  keep  the  bees  subdued; 
for  if  you  use  too  much  smoke  it  will  cause  them  to  leave  their  quiet  posi- 
tion on  the  comb  and  go  to  crawling  about  over  the  interior  parts  of  the 
hive,  and  boiling  out  of  it  on  the  alighting-board  and  over  the  top  of  the 
hive :  and  the  queen  will,  of  course,  join  them  and  be  much  more  difficult 
to  find  than  if  you  had  used  only  enough  smoke  to  keep  them  subdued. 

Remove  the  division-board  and  lift  out  the  frame  next  to  it  and  look 
over  it  well  and  set  it  beside  the  hive  on  the  outside,  and  lift  out  the  next 
frame ;  look  it  over,  and  set  it  back  in  the  hive ;  then  lift  out  the  next  one 
and  look  over  it  well,  and  so  on  until  all  the  frames  have  been  carefully  lifted 
out  and  looked  over  for  the  queen.  If  the  queen  has  not  been  found  during 
this  search,  look  the  frames  over  again  carefully;  then,  if  she  is  not  found, 
set  them  all  back  in  the  hive  and  put  the  cover  on ;  and  after  an  hour  or  more 
repeat  the  search  until  she  is  found.  Usually  the  queen  is  found  on  the 
first  or  second  search;  and  during  the  search  keep  a  close  watch  on  the 
bottom  and  sides  of  the  hive,  for  often  she  will  be  found  there. 

Of  course,  queens  are  more  easily  found  in  a  nucleus,  or  small  swarm 
of  bees.     If  the  frames  or  comb  in  a  patent  or  similarly  constructed  hive 


100  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

are  not  movable,  disturb  the  bees  and  let  them  fill  themselves  with  honey; 
then  send  the  smoke  down  between  the  frames  until  the  bees  set  up  a 
march  to  go  out  on  the  alighting-board  to  escape  from  the  smoke.  Continue 
the  search  by  sending  a  little  smoke  down  on  them,  and  at  the  same  time 
watch  the  marching  bees  closely  until  the  queen  marches  out;  then  you  can 
pick  her  up.  If  it  is  desired  to  remove  a  queen  from  an  old  box  hive,  remove 
the  top  and  send  in  the  smoke  at  the  entrance,  and  soon  the  queen  will  be 
seen  crawling  around  on  ^op  of  the  comb  or  the  sides  of  the  hive;  then  she 
can  be  caught.  A  queen  should  never  be  handled  roughly,  nor  mashed,  for 
it  will  greatly  injure  them,  unless  it  is  desired  to  kill  them.  It  is  not  a  good 
idea  to  catch  or  handle  queens  at  all  unless  it  is  necessary. 

INTRODUCING  QUEENS. 

Bees  have  a  very  great  sense  of  smell  and  in  this  way  they  seem  to 
know  each  other,  and,  of  course,  they  know  when  a  strange  bee  or  queen  is 
among  them ;  and  as  they  allow  no  intruding  bees  except  drones  among  them 
they  will  kill  them.  It  matters  not  how  much  they  need  a  queen,  if  a  strange 
one  is  given  them  they  will  soon  ball  her  to  death. 

Queens  are  sent  through  the  mails  in  small  wood  and  wire  cages,  with 
directions  on  each  cage  how  to  introduce  them  to  a  colony;  and  if  these 
directions  are  carried  out  there  will  not  be  many  lost  in  introducing  them. 
And  if  queens  are  to  be  introduced  from  one  hive  to  another  in  the  same 
apiary,  or  carried  from  one  apiary  to  another,  they  must  be  put  in  similar 
cages  with  plenty  of  candy  (a  very  stif?  dough  made  of  strained  or  ex- 
tracted honey  and  pulverized  sugar),  and  then  introduced  in  the  same  man- 
ner you  would  queens  sent  through  the  mails.  Queens  sent  through  the  mails 
should  be  examined  as  soon  as  they  arrive,  to  see  that  they  are  alive  and 
in  good  condition,  for  sometimes  they  will  die  in  the  mails  or  be  badly 
daubed  or  smeared  with  the  candy.  The  cause  of  this  is  that  the  mail  has  in 
some  way  been  exposed  to  the  direct  heat  of  the  sun,  which,  of  course,  would 
soften  the  candy,  and  the  queen  and  her  escorts  would  be  daubed  or  smeared 
with  it,  and  be  in  poor  condition  to  introduce. 

If  the  queens  arrive  very  badly  daubed  or  dead  they  should  be  mailed 
back  to  the  sender,  who  will  make  the  loss  good  by  sending  more  queens  in 
their  place.  But  the  queens  in  good  condition  should  be  introduced  as  soon 
as  possible  according  to  the  directions  found  on  the  under  side  of  the 
pasteboard  which  is  tacked  over  the  wire  cloth  and  which  contains  your 
address.  It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  very  small  strip  of  pasteboard  tacked 
over  hole  filled  with  candy  on  one  end  of  the  cage.  This  should  not  be  re- 
moved. The  object  of  it  is  to  delay  the  releasing  of  the  queen,  for  they 
would  soon  eat  the  candy  out  of  the  cage  and  release  the  queen  before  the 
bees  can  get  acquainted  with  her,  and,  of  course,  they  would  kill  her.  It 
usually  takes  bees  and  queen  more  than  24  hours  to  form  an  acquaintance. 

After  the  ^  .icboard  has  been  removed  from  over  the  wire  cloth,  intro- 
duce   '■'e  queen  as  follows : 

*he  undesired  queens  and  kill  them,  and  give  the  bees  the  caged 
■g  the   cages   between   two   top-bars   of   the  brood-frames   con- 


SOUTHERN    BEE  CULTURE  103 

or  to  keep  for  home  use,  but  put  it  up  in  small  jars,  25  or  50  cents'  worth 
in  each  one;  for  after  the  comb  gets  torn  up,  stirring  through  it  to  find  -'ce 
chunks,  its  beautiful  appearance  is  spoiled,  and  it  will  not  bring  a  fancy  pri^e. 
See  "Chunk  Honey." 

The  first  large  swarms  that  are  hived  can  be  robbed  as  soon  as  the 
honey-flow  is  over;  but  if  they  are  small  swarms,  or  are  hived  late,  they 
should  not  be  robbed  the  first  year,  for  they  v  ..  need  what  surplus  honey 
they  have;  and,  besides,  small  swarms  rarely  buik'  their  comb  very  far  down 
the  first  season;  and  if  the  tops  are  removed  the  combs  are  apt  to  break 
loose  and  fall;  and  the  result  i<;  the  colonies  are  lost.  Hundreds  of  colonies 
are  destroyed  in  this  way  each  season.  Bee-keepers  should  know  about  how 
much  honey  there  is  in  hives  when  they  are  robbing  them,  so  as  not  to  rob 
them  unmercifully.  Sometimes  bees  store  all  their  honey  in  the  top  of  the 
hive;  and  if  it  is  removed  they  are  soon  starved.  If  a  colony  has  not  plenty 
of  stores  it  should  not  be  robbed  at  all,  for  they  need  what  httle  they  have. 
Also,  a  more  prolific  variety  of  bees  can  be  introduced — see  "Finding  and 
Introducing  Queens."  After  the  old  queens  have  been  removed,  place  the 
caged  queens  down  in  the  comb  just  in  the  edge  of  the  cluster  of  bees  or 
the  brood-nest. 

The  care  that  bees  can  receive  in  old-style  gums  or  box  hives  is  very 
limited,  and  I  have  mentioned  only  these  few  things  that  you  may  keep  the 
bees  along  until  better  hives  and  appliances  can  be  obtained  for  them. 


SOUTHERN  HONEY  FLORA. 

The  South  is  rich  in  honey  resources,  and  many  sections  and  locations 
are  a  paradise  for  bees,  and  there  are  many  of  them  that  have  not  one  colony 
of  bees  in  them,  to  save  any  of  the  vast  amount  of  honey  that  is  wasted  each 
season.  Truly,  if  honey-saving  were  given  its  due  attention  the  South  would 
flow  with  honey,  and  a  vast  amount  of  the  wholesome  sweet  would  be  saved 
and  consumed  in  place  of  other  inferior  sweets.  Our  natural  appetite  calls 
for  it  from  childhood  up;  and  our  weak  bodies  need  it  to  nourish  them. 
There  are  thousands  of  farmers  scattered  over  the  South  who  are  tied  fast 
to  the  post  of  constant  toil  for  the  necessities  of  life,  and  the  children  of 
many  of  them  are  deprived  of  educational  advantages  to  help  stay  the 
■"wolf  from  the  door,  when  there  is  enough  honey  going  to  waste  in  the 
fields,  along  the  ditches,  and  the  fence-corners,  and  over  the  waste  land  and 
around  in  the  forest  to  help  or  make  them  independent  if  they  would  only 
turn  a  little  of  their  attention  toward  saving  it. 

The  field  for  hustling  bee-keepers  is  extensive  and  rich,  and  transporta- 
tion, health,  and  climate  are  all  that  could  be  expected ;.  and  there  are  lo- 
cated here  and  there  all  over  the  'South  progressive  '.  c-keepers  who  are 
reliable,  and  ready  to  give  information  to  those  who  desire  and  ask  /or  it. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  blooming  plants  which  yield  some  necta-  rx}^ 
pollen,  and  are  of  some  value  to  bee-keepers;  but  to  go  into  full  details  01 


Black  Gum  or  Tupelo. 


Carpet  Wetd  Hippia  J^tpens). 


Centurj-  Plant. 
The  richest  in  nectar  of  any  American  plant. 


Gallbeiry. 


Horsemint,  of  Texas. 


Marigold,  of  Texas. 


Sourwood. 


112  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

these  various  plants  would  take  up  too  much  space ;  and  as  the  contributors 
to  this  book  give  much  information  on  the  Southern  honey  flora  I  will  not 
list  the  honey  and  pollen  plants. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

I  am  proud  of  the  South  as  a  bee  and  honey  country,  and  of  the  possi- 
bilities there  are  here  for  the  bee  and  honey  industry,  and  the  wonderful 
progress  it  is  making.  Until  late  years  but  little  has  been  known  of  modern 
hives  and  bee-keeping  appliances  which  were  invented  and  first  manufactured 
in  the  North.  Now  the  Northern  bee-keepers'  supply  manufacturers  have 
branch  oflfices  in  many  sections  of  the  South  from  which  bee-keepers  are  sup- 
plied, saving  heavy  transportation  charges.  The  majority  of  these  agents 
were  reared  in  the  South,  are  progressive  bee-keepers,  and  are  doing  all 
in  their  power  to  promote  the  industry  here.  We  have  also  Southern  bee- 
keepers' supply  manufacturing  plants,  one  in  Alabama  and  one  or  two  in 
Texas,  which  are  manufacturing  bee-keeper's  supplies  and  distributing  them 
all  over  the  South.  With  this  large  amount  of  available  bee  supplies,  which 
are  sold  at  a  reasonable  price,  it  assures  a  rapid  progress  for  the  industry. 
Thousands  of  bee-keepers  have  already  adopted  modern  appliances  for  their 
bees,  and  the  number  is  greatly  increased  each  year. 

Then  literature,  to  enlighten  the  people's  mind  along  the  lines  of  bee- 
keeping or  bee  culture  has  been  slowly  penetrating  the  South ;  and  bee- 
keepers have  been  backward  in  expressing  themselves  or  giving  their  views 
or  experiences  in  the  culture  of  bees.  But  these  conditions  have  changed, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  the  honey-bee  and  its  culture  will  soon  be  better  known. 

The  Southern  climate  seems  to  be  ideal  for  bees  and  bee-keeping;  there 
is  no  heavy  loss  sustained  from  cold,  even  if  they  are  wintered  on  their 
summer  stands ;  and  there  are  but  few  days  during  the  winter  when  bees 
are  confined  to  their  hives ;  and  the  constant  flights  assure  good  health  for 
them.  Spring  brings  with  it  many  blossoms  laden  with  rich  pollen  upon 
which  bees  build  up  rapidly;  and  with  just  a  little  attention  they  will  be  in 
splendid  condition  for  the  spring  honey-flow. 

The  bees'  working  season  is  long,  and  sometimes  it  seems  rather  Icng 
to  us  bee-keepers ;  but  great  progress  can  be  made  with  our  bees  during 
this  time ;  and  there  are  honey-flows  heavy  or  light  at  intervals  along  during 
the  season,  assuring  that  great  progress  can  be  made  in  bee-keeping. 

Spring  usually  brings  with  it  a  long  and  heavy  honey-flow,  and  during 
summer  there  is  a  long  .and  heavy  honey-flow  in  many  locations;  and  fall  also 
brings  a  he-^  -  honey-flow  which  furnishes  some  surplus  honey  and  winter 
stor-       ^r  bees. 

:        i  ig  seasons  with  honey-flows  at  intervals  assure  a  crop  of  honey 

at  somt  ..  .le  during  them;  and  in  but  very  few  sections  has  there  ever  been 
a  total  honey   failure. 


102  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

rool,  a  colony  can  be  formed  in  the  same  way  over  a  strong  colony  with  wire 
cloth  between  them,  so  that  they  can  get  the  benefit  of  the  heat  of  the 
-•',iony  below.  In  five  or  six  days  it  can  be  removed  and  set  on  its  desired 
stand,  and  a  small  entrance  made  for  only  one  bee  to  pass  at  a  time. 

Queens  will  be  accepted  better  when  there  is  a  honey-flow  on  than  when 
there  is  a  honey-dearth ;  and  during  summer  and  autumn  is  perhaps  the  best 
time  to  requeen. 

Caged  queens  sho.uI<^  never  be  allowed  to  remain  in  a  cool  piace,  for 
they  are  likely  to  be-  chilled  and  injured;  and  they  should  remain  in  a  cage 
but  a  short  time  before  being  introduced. 


OLD-FASHIONED  BEE-KEEPING. 

There  are  thousands  of  bee-keepers  who  keep  their  bees  in  box  hives 
and  log  gums  just  as  bees  were  kept  many  years  ago,  and  they  will  never  put 
a  swarm  of  bees  in  a  modern  or  up-to-date  hive,  but  continue  on  the  old- 
fashioned  way  of  keeping  bees. 

There  is  not  much  culture  we  can  give  bees  in  such  hives ;  but  they  can  re- 
ceive much  more  than  they  usually  do,  and  should  be  examined  a  few  times 
during  the  year  to  see  that  they  have  plenty  of  stores  and  the  proper  room  to 
store  honey  in.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  light  hives  should  be  fed  by  remov- 
ing the  tops  and  setting  small  pans,  11/2  or  2  inches  deep,  in  on  the  comb  in  the 
top  of  the  hives ;  then  fill  them  with  straw  or  hay,  and  fill  them  with  feed  (see 
"Feeding  Bees''),  until  they  have  been  fed  enough.  The  lops  must  fit  down 
well  on  the  hives  or  the  robbers  will  get  in  and  eat  up  the  feed.  In  early 
spring  they  should  be  closely  examined  again ;  and  if  they  need  feeding,  feed 
them  again.  Then  just  before  the  first  heavy  honey-flow  clean  out  the  tops 
of  the  hives,  removing  all  the  comb  down  eight  or  ten  inches  below  the 
tops,  so  that  the  bees  will  build  new  comb  to  store  their  honey  in.  If  there 
is  any  honey  in  this  old  dark  removed  comb,  stretch  a  burlap  sack  over  a 
tub  and  bind  it  well  with  a  strong  cord  or  small  rope  so  it  will  not  sag 
down  much,  and  then  pour  the  honey  on  it ;  then  work  it  up  thoroughly 
with  your  hands,  mashing  up  all  chunks  of  comb  well  and  let  it  stand  and 
drip  for  twelve  or  fifteen  hours;  then  the  comb  and  honey  will  be  separated, 
and  you  can  render  the  comb  into  wax,  and  the  strained  honey  can  be  put  in 
the  feeder  and  fed  back  to  the  bees  as  you  would  feed,  filling  the  pans  well 
with  straw  to  keep  the  bees  from  drowning  in  the  strained  honey.  The 
bees  will  carry  the  honey  down  and  store  it  in  the  old  comb  around  the 
brood-nest ;  and  as  soon  as  new  honey  comes  in  they  will  start  comb-building 
in  the  top,  and  store  their  new  honey  there.  Of  course,  the  most  of  this 
honey  should  be  ted  to  the  lighter  colonies.  As  soon  as  the  first  honey-flow  is 
over; 'rob  the  bees  and  you  will  have  all  nice  new  honey  in  white  comb.  Then 
io     ot  remove  it  and  put  it  in  lard-cans  or  large  vessels  to  carry  it  to  market 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  loi 

taining  most  brcod,  with  the  side  of  the  cages  covered  with  wire  down,  so 
that  the  queen  and  the  bees  in  the  hive  have  access  to  each  other,  and  thus 
form  an  acquaintance.  The  frames  must  be  pressed  up  firmly  against  the 
cages  so  that  the  cages  will  not  drop  down  between  the  combs  on  the  bottom 
of  the  hive. 

Do  not  molest  the  bees  any  more  for  three  or  four  days.  During  this 
time  the  bees  and  queens  w^ill  form  acquaintance,  the  queens  will  be  liberated. 
and  all  be  quite  at  home  together;  and  if  any  queens  should  not  be  received 
they  have  queen-cells,  and  soon  have  a  laying  queen  anyway;  then  she  can 
be  killed,  and  another  one  introduced.  If  the  bees  have  not  accepted  the 
first  queen  introduced  to  them  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  accept  another 
one;  but  just  let  them  raise  them  one;  and  as  soon  as  she  begins  to  lay,  give 
them  another  one. 

Usually  bees  will  start  queen-cells  with  a  queen  caged  in  the  hive ;  and 
if  she  is  not  accepted  they  will  be  safe  any  way.  But  if  queenless  bees  are 
supplied  with  frames  of  brood  in  all  stages  of  development  from  time  to  time, 
they  will  be  much  more  likely  to  accept  queens  than  if  they  have  been  brood- 
less  and  queenless  for  some  time.  Queenless  bees  should  always  be  supplied 
with  brood  or  young  bees  to  feed,  because  it  will  keep  them  from  becoming 
hopeless,  and  at  the  same  time  will  keep  them  built  up,  and  likely  they  will 
accept  a  queen  at  any  time.  But  when  queens  are  given  to  such  colonies, 
all  queen-cells  should  be  torn  down  at  the  time  the  queens  are  placed  in  the 
hives,  for  the  bees  will  not  be  so  apt  to  accept  queens  with  ripe  queen-cells 
in  the  hive  at  the  time  the  queens  are  placed  in  the  hives. 

Sometimes  bee-keepers  have  or  buy  a  choice  queen  they  want  to  introduce 
in  a  sure  way.  Prepare  an  empty  hive  body,  bottom,  and  cover,  and  set  it  on 
a  star.d,  and  look  over  an  apiary  and  select  the  choicest  frames  of  sealed 
hatching  brood,  and  fill  the  empty  hive  with  them,  and  close  up  the  entrance 
so  no  bees  can  escape.  Then  with  the  small  blade  of  a  knife  remove  the 
candy  through  the  small  hole  at  the  end  of  the  cage  so  the  queen  and  her 
escorting  bees  can  easily  pass  out ;  but  keep  your  finger  over  the  hole,  for  the 
queen  may  fly  out  and  be  lost ;  and  place  the  cage  firmly  between  two  frames ; 
remove  your  finger,  and  quickly  slip  the  cover  on.  In  five  or  six  days  make 
an  opening  so  only  one  bee  can  pass  out.  By  this  time  there  is  a  good-sized 
cluster  of  bees  hatched  out,  the  queen  is  safe  among  them,  and  they  are 
strong  enough  to  defend  themselves  if  the  entrance  to  their  hive  is  very 
small.  In  seven  or  eight  days  from  the  time  the  colony  is  formed,  look  over 
the  comb;  and  if  the  young  bees  have  nearly  all  emerged,  give  the  frames  of 
comb  back  to  the  colonies  you  took  them  from  except  the  three  which  have 
the  most  young  bees  in  them.  Let  those  remain,  and  from  time  to  time  add 
to  this  small  colony  frames  of  sealed  brood  until  it  is  a  full  colony.  When 
you  first  remove  the  frames  of  hatching  brood  to  make  the  colony,  be  sure 
there  is  not  even  one  old  bee  on  them,  for  it  might  kill  or  injure  the  queen; 
and  do  not  add  any  old  bees  at  any  time  while  building  the  colony  up.  The 
hives  where  these  frames  are  removed  from  can  at  once'  oe  supplied  with 
extra  frames  of  comb  which  may  be  about  the  apiary,  or  frames  ''  -mme 
full  sheets  of  foundation  can  be  used  for  this  purpose.     If  t' 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  113 

Now  let  us  look  over  the  statistics  and  see  what  is  being  done  in  the 
bee  and  honey  industry  here  in  the  South  at  present. 

Number  Pounds  honey  Pounds  wax  Value  honey 

Colonies  pet  annum.  per  annum.  and  wax. 

North    CaroHna    250,000  2,500,000  150,000  $300,000 

South  CaroHna    100,000  900,000  50,000  100,000 

Georgia     200,000  1,800,000  80,000  200,000 

Alabama     250,000  2,500,000  150,000  300,000 

Mississippi     100,000  900,000  50,000  100,000 

Louisiana     . . ; 50,000  500,000  30,000  60,000 

Texas    500,000  5,000,000  300,000  500,000 

Arkansas    150,000  1,500,000  75,ooo  200,000 

These  figures  are  interesting,  and  show  that  our  industry  is  a  paying 
one,  and  by  no  means  a  small  one ;  yet  it  is  nothing  compared  to  what  it 
should  be  and  will  be.  The  great  amount  of  honey  saved  by  the  bees  is  not 
much  more  than  a  drop  compared  to  what  is  wasted  for  lack  of  bees  to  save 
it. 

The  outlook  for  the  bee  and  honey  industry  at  present  in  the  South 
is  certainly  a  bright  one.  There  are  progressive  apiaries  in  operation  here 
and  there  all  over  the  South,  and  men  are  devoting  their  entire  time  to  the 
industrious  bees,  and  wondering  why  a  greater  number  of  people  are  not 
more  interested. 

I  have  asked  a  few  of  these  progressive  bee-keepers  located  in  different 
sections  of  the  South  to  send  me  a  write-up  of  bee-keeping,  and  the  pros- 
pects of  it  in  their  location;  and  they  responded,  giving  some  names  of 
other  progressive  bee-keepers  located  in  the  same  section. 

I  thank  them,  one  and  all,  for  their  kindness,  and  I  am  sure  that  their 
•enthusiastic  write-ups  will  be  interesting  to  you. 


BEES  IN  TEXAS. 

NEW  BRAUNFELS,  TEXAS. 

The   Past,   Present,  and  Future  of  the  Bee-Keeping  Industry  in  The 

Great  Lone  Star  State. 

Not   only   is   Texas   the   greatest   honey-producing    State   of    the    South, 

but  of  the  United  States;  for  in  its  large  annual  output  of  honey  products 

it  surpasses  all  other  States,  producing  crops  of  honey  much  more  regularly 

than  any  other  in  the  Union. 

bee-keeping  of  the  past. 
There  are  no  available  records  of  the  beginning  of  bee-keep:  Texps, 

hence  it  is  not  positively  known  when   the  first  bees  came  into    this   Statt. 
The  industry  for  a  long  time  progressed  very  slowly,  and   remained  in  its 


114  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

infancy  for  many  years.  Not  a  score  of  years  ago  there  could  be  seen  in 
many  dooryards  a  few  "bee-gums,"  or  sawed-of?  hollow  logs,  standing  on  end, 
while  some  box  hives  were  also  used.  There  was  no  way  of  examining  the 
colonies  domiciled  in  these,  nor  of  ascertaining  their  condition  at  any  time 
without  tearing  asunder  hive,  combs,  and  all  to  gain  access.  To  obtain  the 
little  surplus  honey  necessitated  the  cutting-out  of  the  combs,  much  of  it 
contained  "bee-bread"  and  brood,  which  were  then  mashed  up,  and  the  honey 
separated  from  the  comb  by  straining  through  a  cloth.  The  resultant  product 
had  in  nearly  all  cases  a  strong  taint  of  bee-bread,  or  pollen,  left,  both  in 
the  color  and  the  flavor  of  the  honey. 

For  the  bees  the  removal  of  the  honey  meant  either  the  brimstone-pit, 
long  in  vogue,  over  which  the  bees  met  their  fate,  or,  if  they  escaped  this 
method,  the  mashing  of  honey-comb  and  flowing  honey  over  bees,  brood,  and' 
all  of  the  hive,  to  be  righted  again  by  the  bees  as  best  they  could.  In  many 
cases  the  bees  from  other  colonies  would  rob  the  disturbed  ones  and  weaken 
them  so  that  the  wax-moth  larvae,  or  "worms,"  soon  overpowered  them  and 
destroyed  the  poor  colonies  entirely. 

Thus  it  was  that  slow  progress  was  made  in  bee-keeping.  An  owner 
with  a  dozen  or  more  colonies  increased  them  by  letting  them  swarm  and 
reswarm — a  process  which  so  weakened  the  mother  colonies  for  the  honey 
harvest   that  a  very   small  harvest  was   obtained. 

In  the  fall  and  winter  the  loss  of  colonies  would  bring  the  apiary  back 
to  its  original  number  of  a  dozen  or  less,  and  the  bee-keeper  (?)  thought 
he  had  done  well  if  he  had  "13  colonies — 12  three  years  ago — the  web-worms 
killed  them."  There  are  large  numbers  of  these  bee-keepers  still,  but  these 
are  waning  slowly,  the  movable-frame  hive  coming  more  and  more  in  evi- 
dence everywhere. 

ST.MISTICS    ON    BEES. 

There  are  no  statistics  at  hand  to  show  the  extent  of  bee  culture  in 
Texas  at  the  present  time ;  but  we  know  that  the  industry  has  developed 
rapidly  and  steadily  during  the   last  score  of  years. 

From  one  of  our  State  College  Apiary  Reports  is  quoted  the  following, 
printed   in    1902  : 

"Texas  excels  every  other  State  on  her  honey  production;  yet  to  one 
who  has  studied  that  situation  and  vast  territory  and  vegetation  of  this 
State,  it  is  evident  that  as  yet  Texas  does  not  produce  one-tenth  the  honey 
which  it  might  through  proper  management  and  further  development.  A 
careful  estimate  shows  also  that  at  least  90  per  cent  of  the  bee-keepers  of  the 
State  are  not  practicing  up-to-date  or  modern  methods  of  bee-keeping,  thereby 
getting  less  than  one-half  of  the  possible  amount  of  honey  from  the  colonies 
already  at  hand.     *     *     * 

"Some  of  the  possibilities  of  honey  production  in  Texas  may  be  better 
understood  from  a  study  of  UvaWe  Co.,  which  is  practically  the  only  county 
m  which  bee-keeping  has  been  developed  to  anything  like  its  possible  extent. 
In    this    county    and    immediately    adjoining,    according   to    Mr.    J.    K.    Hill, 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  115 

of  Uvalde,  there  are  located  about  15,000  colonies  of  bees,  representing,  with 
apparatus  and  fixtures  used  in  their  care,  an  investment  of  at  least  $120,000. 
In  average  seasons  under  competent  management,  these  colonies  yield  from 
100  to  220  pounds  of  honey  each.  Aside  from  honey  sold  and  consumed 
locally,  there  is  shipped  from  Uvalde -annually  an  average  of  546,000  pounds, 
representing  from  $54,000  to  $60,000.  There  are  in  Southwest  Texas  at 
least  thirty  counties  that  would,  if  properly  developed,  equal  or  excel  this 
yield.  In  addition  to  this  there  is  valuable  honey-producing  territory  along 
the  Colorado,  Guadaloupe,  Brazos,  Trinity,  and  Sabine  rivers  that  is  as  yet 
almost  totally  unoccupied.  The  entire  East  Texas  territory,  some  parts  of 
North  .Texas,  as  also  the  timber  belts,  are  promising  for  future  develop- 
ment.   *    *    * 

"The  United  States  census  for  1900  (U.  S.  Census  Bulletin  No.  229) 
gives  the  total  numb.er  of  colonies  in  Texas  for  that  year  as  392,644.  Esti- 
mate at  $3.50  per  colony,  their  value  is  seen  to  be  $1,374,254.  The  amount 
invested  in  honey-houses  and  other  apparatus  connected  with  bee-keeping, 
exclusive  of  hives,  will  doubtless  approximate  5  per  cent  of  this  amount,  or 
^,712  more.  The  State  Bee-Keepers'  Statistics,  as  compiled  by  Prof.  F.  W. 
Mally,  show  that,  in  1900,  150,000  colonies  under  Texas  conditions  produced 
11,250,000  pounds  of  honey,  or  an  average  of  751  pounds  each.  For  all  the 
colonies  in  the  State,  this  would,  without  doubt,  be  too  high  an  average. 
Thirty  pounds  per  colony  would  seem  a  conservative  estimate.  This  makes 
the  production  of  the  392,644  colonies  11,779,320.  pounds,  which,  at  an  average 
price  of  6  cents  per  pound,  aggregates  $706,759.20.  Also  about  $3,500  worth 
of  queens  are  annually  raised  and  shipped  from  Texas.  No  estimate  of  the 
wax  produced,  or  colonies  shipped  from  Texas,  is  given,  but  these  obviously 
amount  to  considerable.  Summing  up  we  have  the  total  capital  invested,  and 
annual  output  of  the  bee-keeping  industry  in  Texas : 

"Bees     $1,374,254.00 

Appliances  68,712.00 

Honey    7o6,7S9-20 

Queens   3.500.00 

"Total  $2,i53-225-20 

"These  figures  serve  to  show  the  importance  of  the  industry  which  has 
been  rapidly  developing  within  the  past  few  years,  and  great  developments 
are  possible  and  probable  in  the  future." 

This  was  half  a  dozen  years  ago.  Since  then  Texas  has  made  great 
strides  in  bee-keeping.  The  number  of  practical  apiarists  has  greatly  in- 
creased, and  with  it  the  number  of  colonies.  As  these  are  kept  in  frame 
hives,  and  with  up-to-date  methods,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  are  now 
more  than  400,000  colonies  with  a  better  average  of  honey  produced  per 
colony  than   six  years   ago. 

LEADING  BEE-KEEPERS. 

There  are  numerous  bee-keepers  in  the  State  who  number  their  colonies 
by  many  hundreds.  The  largest  owner  at  present  is  Willie  Atchley,  of 
Beev-ille,  who  owns  1690  colonies;  W.  O.  Victor,  of  Hondo,  owns  about 
1500  colonies;  W.  H.  Laws,  of  Beeville,  900;  O.   P.  Hyde,  Floresville,  80O, 


Ii6  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

and  D.  C.  Milam,  Noalde,  500.  There  are  several  others  with  500  colonies 
or  less,  among  which  are  F.  L.  Aten,  Round  Rock;  C  A.  Butts,  Normanna; 
J.  E.  Chambers,  Vigo;  A.  H.  Knolle,  Hondo;  H.  Pipev,  Calaveras;  T.  P. 
Robertson,  Bartlett ;  the  -Louis  H.  Scholl  Apiaries,  New  Braunfels ;  L. 
Stachelhausen  Bee  Co.,  Cibolo;  J.  W.  Taylor,  Beeville;  D.  M.  Edwards, 
Uvalde ;  Udo  Toepperwein,  San  Antonio ;  W.  H.  White,  Blossom ;  A.  L 
Davis,  San  Antonio;  L.  Jones,  Uvalde;  W.  H.  Madely,  Gindale;  H.  A. 
Mitchell,  Shepherd;  J.  A,  Simmons.  Oakville;  M.  E.  Van  Avery,  Maxwell; 
and  A.  L.  Krueger,  New  Ulm.  A  large  number  are  listed  with  from  one  to 
two  hundred  colonies.  These  are  all  progressive  bee-keepers,  and  the 
majority  of  them  depend  mainly  on  the  pursuit  for  a  livelihood.  ,  Others 
diversify,  combining  farming,  dairying,  truck,  or  fruit-growing  and  other 
lines  with  it. 

MAIN  SOURCES  OF  HONEY. 

There  are  several  main  sources  for  surplus  honey  in  this  State,  owing 
to  the  large  territory  contained  in  it  of  varying  soils,  altitudes,  climatic 
conditions,  and  the  consequent  different  flora  adapted  to  these.  Southwest 
Texas  can  well  be  considered  the  most  important  section  for  bee-keeping, 
as  the  honey-yielding  flora  is  here  most  abundant.  Although  an  arid  section 
of  country,  there  are  numerous  kinds  of  plants  and  trees,  almost  all  of  a 
shrublike  nature,  and  bearing  thorns  or  spines,  characteristic  of  desert  plains. 
The  most  abundant  and  widespread  honey-yielder  is  the  mesquite-tree 
(meskeet),  Prosopis  juliHora,  which  covers  the  plains  and  prairies  of  all 
Southwest  Texas.  The  honey  is  of  a  very  light  amber,  and  the  flavor  not  a 
distinct  one  as  is  generally  characteristic  of  other  sources.  As  some  have  put 
it,  "the  honey  from  mesquite  is  mild-flavored,  and  has  no  characteristic 
flavor  like  other  honeys,  of  which  a  person  sooner  or  later  tires ;  hence  it 
can  be  eaten  more  like  bread  at  all  times,  making  it  an  excellent  honey  for 
everyday  all-around  table  use."  It  has  two  and  sometimes  three  distinct 
blooming  periods  in  each  year.  The  first  begins  in  early  April,  sometimes 
earlier  or  later,  according  to  the  season,  and  lasts  for  several  weeks.  Then 
seed-pods  are  formed,  so  that  even  ripe  and  unmatured  beans  are  on  the 
trees  when  its  flowers  of  the  second  blooming  period  open  up  for  the  bees 
in  June  and  July.  The  yield  from  this  source  is  abundant,  and  can  be  de- 
pended on  as  a  more  regular  yielder  than  our  other  sources. 

Considered  the  most  important  in  this  section  is  the  "gnajilla"  brush 
(Zygia  brevifolia),  pronounced  "wa-he-ah."  This  blooms  in  April,  and 
yields  an  abundance  of  nectar  for  about  two  weeks,  during  which  time, 
in  favorable  seasons,  it  is  impossible  for  the  bees  to  gather  it  all.  This  is  a 
light-colored  honey,  of  m  ild  flavor,  with  a  delicate  aroma,  and  has  become 
famous  for  its  quality. 

Another  main  source  of  the  three  most  important  is  the  "catclaw" 
{Acasia  Greggii).  Immense  quantities  of  excellent  honey  are  obtained 
from  this  source  early  in  the  season,  April  and  May.  Sometimes  late  cold 
weather  cuts  off  this  source  to  some  extent.  Besides  these  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  more  or  less  important  honey-yielding  and  pollen-producing  plants. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  117 

shrubs,  and  trees,  some  of  which  begin  blooming  in  December  and  others 
ending  the  season  with  that  month  or  January,  so  that  actually  there  are 
"thirteen  months  of  bloom  in  each  year." 

For  Central  Texas  the  mesquite-tree  predominates.  With  this  and  the 
cotton-fields  and  horse-mint  {Monarda  clinipodiordes  and  M.  punctata)  it 
is  also  well  adapted  to  bee-keeping.  The  cotton  honey-flow  begins  about  July 
I,  and  continues  until  frost.  The  honey  is  the  lightest  in  color  of  the 
sources  here,  and  has  a  characteristic  flavor  much  liked  in  the  well-ripened 
honey.  When  first  gathered  the  flavor  is  very  characteristic  of  the  juice  of 
the  cotton-plant  itself,  but  which  disappears  as  the  honey  ripens.  When 
granulated  the  honey  is  almost  pure  white,  and  very  fine-grained.  Horse- 
mint  honey  is  clear,  light  amber  in  color,  with  a  greenish  tinge,  and  has  a 
characteristic  flavor,  stronger  than  those  mentioned,  and  compares  well  with 
basswood  honey  in  character  and  flavor.  This  plant  is  not  so  abundant  now 
as  it  was  years  ago  when  the  prairies  were  covered  with  it  everywhere. 
This  is  owing  to  the  di^  summers,  as  this  plant  is  a  perennial  and  comes 
up  from  the  seed  in  the  fall.    It  begins  to  bloom  in  May  or  June. 

The  cotton  and  horsemint  are  the  main  sources  for  surplus  honey  for 
North  Texas.  In  addition,  sumac,  "shumack,"  of  the  genus  Rhus;  of  which 
there  are  several  species,  blooms  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  August  and  Septem- 
ber, while  one  species  blooms  in  October  and  November.  This  honey  is  of 
excellent  quality. 

•  East  Texas  is  not  so  abundant  in  main  honey-plants,  but  there  are  nu- 
merous kinds  of  lesser  importance.  The  great  expanse  of  fruit-orchards  is 
of  importance,  as  thousands  upon  thousands  of  acres  of  fruit-trees  prevail 
here.  In  the  southern  portion  of  this  fruit  belt  basswood  abounds  in  many 
localities.  This  is  the  same  as  the  well-known  northern  basswood,  or  linden 
(.Tilia  Americana).  This  tree  yields  more  honey  in  favorable  seasons 
than  the  bees  in  a  locality  can  begin  to  store.  It  gives  a  very  rapid  flow  of 
rather  short  duration.  The  honey  is  strong,  aromatic  in  flavor,  especially 
when  first  gathered,  and  grows  milder  with  age.  The  comb  honey  is  most 
beautiful,  as  the  combs  during  the  flow  are  very  white. 

In  South  Texas,  especially  the  coast  country,  the  rattan-vine  is  very 
abundant  {Berchemia  scandens),  and  is  .  a  heavy  yielder  of  amber  honey 
which  goes  mostly  in  barrels  in  biscuit-factories.  The  chinquapin  (Castanea 
pumila)  is  also  of  considerable  importance. 

OTHER  IMPORTANT  HONEY-PLANTS. 

The  earliest  bloomer,  important  for  early  brood-rearing,  is  the  mistletoe, 
a  parasite  on  most  of  our  hard-wood  trees  (Phoradendron  Aavescncs).  It 
yields  pollen  and  some  honey  in  December  and  January.  Triple-leafed 
barberry  (Berberis  trifolata)  is  a  bush  that  blooms  next  in  importance  for 
brood-rearing  for  its  immense  quantities  of  pollen  in  February.  Then  fruit- 
bloom  begins  with  the  plums  (Pruntcs),  of  which  there  are  many  species, 
both  wild  and  cultivated,  followed  by  peaches  and  other  fruits  for  several 
months  in  succession.    In  February  and  March  the  oaks  (Quercus)  of  many 


ii8  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

species  also  yield  much  pollen.  The  willows  (Salix  nigra)  and  others,  and 
the  elms  (Ulmus)  aid  much  in  stimulating  brood.  Hoarhound  (Marrubum) 
vulgare)  begins  blooming  in  February,  and  lasts  until  summer.  This 
yields  an  amber  honey  of  a  rather  nauseating  flavor,  claimed  to  be  bitter  in 
some  localities,  but  which  is  lost  in  time,  making  it  salable.  As  it  is  gen- 
erally mixed  with  mild  honey  from  other  sources,  no  serious .  complaint  is 
made  against  hoarhound  honey. 

The  trees  belonging  to  the  hickory  family  {Hicoria),  to  which  the  pecan 
and  hickorynut  belong,  and  also  the  walnut  (Juglans),  yield  pollen  and  some 
honey;  also  the  cottonwood-trees  (Populus  monilifera).  These  are  followed 
in  March  and  April  by  a  carpet  over  the  entire  open  country  and  prairies  of 
our  State  flower  commonly  known  as  "blue-bonnet,"  the  blue  lupine  (Lm- 
pimis  subcarnosus),  which  yields  pollen  of  various  colors  from  the  palest 
yellow  to  the  deepest  red  and  orange.  Redbud  is  another  early  stimulator 
early  in  the  season,  otherwise  known  as  Judas-tree.  {Cercis  Canadensis). 

Along  regions  where  light,  stony,  and  doby  uplands  prevail,  what  is 
known  as  rock-brush  yields  an  abundance  of  excellent  honey  in  April  and 
May.  This  is  Eysenhardtia  amophoides;  several  species  of  holly  {Ilex) 
also  bloom  during  this  time.  Two  species  of  persimmons  are  very  common 
in  Texas,  and  yield  much  honey,  especially  the  black  Texas  persimmon 
(Diaspyras  Texana)  of  the  western  part  of  the  State,  while  the  yellow 
kind  (Divirginiana)  is  more  common  in  East  Texas.  Several  species  of 
crotons  in  May  and  June  yield  pollen.  These  are  mentioned  as  some  of  the 
species  found  in  most  parts  of  the  State,  and  they  furnish  some  pollen  even 
during  severe  drouths. 

The  cacti,  of  which  the  large  kind,  with  its  thick,  fleshy,  green,  and 
pear-shaped  leaf-like  stems  (Opuntia  englenianii)  known  as  prickly-pear,  is 
most  common,  sometimes  yield  much  honey,  and  are  great  pollen-yielders 
nearly  every  season.  The  honey  is  not  considered  good  for  surplus,  as  it  is 
astringent  in  character  and  strong  in  flavor;  but  it  is  valuable  for  sustaining 
the  colonies  during  the  summer  when  very  little  else  is  in  Woom. 

A  rich  golden  honey  is  produced  by  a  small  plant  of  the  Compositce, 
known  as  "marigold"  {Gailliardia  pulchella),  which  often  covers  the  prairies 
in  May  and  June.  The  flavor  of  this  honey  is  rather  marked.  The  vast 
fields  of  Indian  corn  and  sorghum  are  much  visited  by  the  bees  during  their 
bloom  in  May  and  June,  and  these  yield  immense  quantities  of  pollen.  Of 
some  importance  are  also  the  melons,  and  all  of  the  members  belonging  to 
the  gourd  family  (Cucurbitacea) ,  both  for  pollen  and  honey.  Lippia  ligus- 
trina,  known  as  white  brush,  is  most  common  and  abundant  in  Southwest 
Texas.  It  is  a  very  frequent  bloomer  during  the  season,  depending  upon  the 
abundance  of  rain,  and  is  so  fragrant  that  the  whole  adjoining  country  is 
perfumed  with  its  fragrance. 

In  East  Texas  abounds  the  bitter-weed  {Helenium  tenuifolium)  which 
begins  to  bloom  in  June,  and  lasts  until  frost.  This  plant  is  not  affected  to 
any  great  extent,  by  drouth  and  blooms  very  regularly  every  season.  Bees 
rarely  work  on  it  except  during  a  dry  season,  when  there  is  nothing  else,  and 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  119 

then  the  bright  golden-colored  honey  is  so  bitter  it  can  not  be  eaten.  The 
comb  built  during  such  a  flow  is  of  a  characteristic  bright  yellow. 

Another  common  weed  is  the  ragweed  (Ambrosia) ,  of  which  there  are 
several  species.  These  are  much  like  the  crotons  in  distribution,  and  yield 
pollen. 

A  valuable  fall  bloomer  in  most  parts  of  the  State  is  the  broom  weed 
{Guttierezia  Texana),  beginning  to  bloom  in  August  and  until  frost.  The 
honey  is  amber  in  color,  and  strong-flavored,  but  is  most  excellent  for 
winter  stores,  coming  at  this  time,  and  the  colonies  build  up  on  it  in  splendid 
condition  with  their  hives  full.  This  plant  is  sometimes  not  so  abundant 
during  a  dry  season,  but  comes  quite  regularly  year  after  year.  Where  abun- 
dant, much  fall  honey  is  obtained  from  Virginian  crownbeard,  or  often  called 
wild  tobacco  {Verbesina  Virginiana).  It  blooms  in  October;  but  the  dry 
summers  cause  a  stunted  growth  of  the  flowers  in  many  seasons,  when  it 
yields  sparingly. 

CULTIVATED    HOnEY-PLANTS. 

Alfalfa  is  being  planted  a  great  deal,  and  yields  honey  under  favorable 
conditions  with  or  without  irrigation.  Not  enough  of  it  is  grown  yet,  how- 
ever, to  make  it  an  important  source;  but  with  the  advent  of  irrigation  in 
the  arid  sections,  all  of  West  Texas  should  rival  the  Western  States,  where 
alfalfa  honey  is  abundantly  produced.  None  of  the  other  clovers  thrive 
well  here  except  sweet,  white,  and  yellow;  and  since  there  is  so  much  waste 
land  it  would  mean  much  to  increase  our  honey-flows  and  to  tide  the  bees 
over  the  summer  months.  However,  the  southern  dry  climate  does  not  seem 
to  agree  with  its  growth  unless  cultivated,  hence  it  soon  disappears. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  a  good  deal  of  it  grows,  having  been 
first  planted  many  years  ago. 

Another  valuable  cultivated  plant  is  the  cowpea,  generally  planted  in  the 
cornfields  for  fertilizing  purposes  after  that  crop  is  made.  As  these  bloom 
during  the  dry  months  the  bees  are  kept  out  of  mischief.  Cowpea  planting 
should  be  encouraged. 

Some  thirty  varieties  of  honey-yielding  plants  were  tested  at  the  Texas 
A.  and  M.  College  Experiment  Station;  but  only  the  above  proved  of  suf- 
ficient value  for  planting  for  bee-forage.  It  is  also  not  profitable  to  plant 
for  bee-forage  alone. 

THE   OUTLOOK   FOR   THE  INDUSTRY. 

Never  before  were  the  chances  better  for  bee-keeping  in  Texas.  With  its 
great  area  and  varying  conditions  the  immense  flora  provided  by  nature, 
and  the  coming  of  irrigation  of  the  more  arid  regions — this,  together  with  a 
more  progressive  lot  of  people  who  will  make  better  bee-keepers,  makes  the 
prospects  for  the  future  in  apiculture  in  this  State  most  promising.  The 
markets  for  the  bee-keepers'  products  were  never  better,  and  a  demand  has 
been  worked  up  for  the  different  kinds  of  honey  produced  here  that  has  never 
been  filled.  A  strange  fact  is  that  Texas  does  not  have  to  depend  on  the 
markets  of  the  North  for  an  outlet,  thus  saving  the  enormous  freight  rates, 


lao  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

and  the  danger  of  an  overstocked  market  where  honey  from  all  sections 
comes  together.  The  greater  portion  of  the  annual  output  is  consumed  in 
the  State,  North  Texas  being  the  best  market,  as  few  bees  are  here,  and  that 
part  is  more  densely  populated.  Large  quantities  are  shipped  out  to  Okla- 
homa, Indian  Territory,  and  Arkansas,  while  very  little  of  it,  comparatively, 
goes  beyond  these  States. 

THE    KINDS    OF    HONEY    PRODUCED. 

Comb  honey  in  sections  was  once  one  of  the  main  products  of  the  up-to- 
date  bee-keeper's  hives;  but  the  great  risk  of  shipping  it  safely  in  a  hot 
climate,  on  account  of  the  frailness  of  the  article,  resulted  in  frequent  smash- 
ups,  and  often  in  melting  down  when  left  out  in  the  hot  sun.  Besides,  sec- 
tion honey  is  expensive  to  produce.  To  obviate  these  objections  comb  honey 
is  now  produced  in  the  regular  frames,  cut  out,  and  packed  in  cans,  liquid 
extracted  honey  being  poured  over  the  whole  to  fill  the  crevices,  so  that  the 
combs  are  kept  buoyant  in  it,  and  kept  from  mashing.  This  kind  of  honey 
brings  more  dollars  into  the  bee-keeper's  pockets  than  section  honey.  It  is 
easier  produced,  and  more  will  be  made  by  the  bees  in  the  frames.  The 
demand  for  it  is  better,  also,  as  the  consumer  gets  more  for  his  money;  hence 
its  production  has  replaced  the  section  honey  almost  entirely. 

Extracted  honey  is  produced  on  a  large  scale,  here,  and  is  still  the  old 
standby.  More  of  it  can  be  obtained  with  the  extractor,  and  the  real  profits 
are  greater  than  from  comb-honey  production.  The  only  obstacle  heretofore 
has  been  the  idea  generally  prevailing  that  such  honey  might  be  adulterated. 
Since  the  pure-fopd  laws  have  been  in  effect,  this  has  been  removed  to  a 
great  extent,  and  now  there  is  a  tendency  to  resort  more  and  more  to  pro- 
ducing extracted  honey.  In  time  this  will  largely  replace  comb  honey 
here. 

Granulation  of  the  honey  has  been  a  great  drawback  toward  successfully 
marketing  a  crop  later  in  the  season,  when  prices  were  stiffening;  and  to 
prevent  the  trouble  of  having  comb  honey  granulate  in  the  cans,  making  it 
unsalable,  it  was  moved  off  rapidly  by  many  bee-keepers  to  their  detriment, 
regarding  the  prices  of  the  markets.  With  extracted  honey,  educating  the 
public  how  to  reliquefy  the  granulated  honey,  and  showing  that  it  is  the  best 
proof  of  its  purity,  is  all  that  is  needed.  Then  such  honey  can  be  kept  oyer 
the  winter  for  better  prices  if  need  be. 

STANDARD   HONEY-PACKAGES. 

Texas  has  its  own  standard-size  packages  for  honey,  both  comb  and 
extracted.  These  are  all  figured  on  a  basis  of  120  lbs.  to  the  case,  or  60 
lbs.  per  half-case.  For  extracted  honey  the  regular  60-lb.  square  can,  two  to 
a  case  prevail  For  comb  honey  the  same  size  of  cans,  two  in  a  case,  have 
large  eight-inch  screw  caps  to  admit  placing  the  comb  honey  in  it.  Twelve- 
pt)und  friction-top  pails,  ten  in  a  case,  making  120  lbs. ;  six-pound  friction- 
top  pails,  ten  in  a  case,  making  60  lbs.,  and  three-pound  friction-top  cans,  20 
in  a  case,  also  making  60  lbs.,  are  used  for  both  comb  and  extracted  honey 
in  smaller-sized  packages  for  retailing  in  the  original  package.    This  stand- 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  121 

ard  is  so  well  known  now  that  orders  are  always  made  in  accordance  with 
the  price  lists  which  appear  as  follows: 

PRICES  OF   HONEY. 

Comb.  Extracted. 

60-pound  cans,    2  in  a  case,  per  lb. 

12-pound  cans,  10  in  a  case,  per  lb. 

6-pound  cans,  10  in  a  case,  per  lb. 

3-pound  cans,  20  in  a  case,  per  lb. 

Terms: — Sight   draft,   bill   of   lading   attached,   subject  to   examination. 

The  freight  rates  on  honey  put  up  in  this  way  are  very  low  as  it  goes  at 

fourth-class    rate,    while    section    comb    honey    must    go    in    glass    shipping 

cases    properly    crated    at    double    first-class    freight    and  .  at    owner's    risk; 

the  can  packages  are  much  safer. 

WORK   OF  THE  ASSOCIATION. 

A  great  deal  of  good  has  been  done  toward  furthering  the  bee-keeping 
industry  here  by  the  State  and  local  bee-keepers'  association.  The  Texas 
Bee-keepers'  Association  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  State,  and  comprises 
all  the  local  associations.  To  it  belong  the  North  Texas  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  South  Texas,  the  Southwest  Texas,  and  the  Uvalde  Bee-keepers' 
Association.  While  these  local  associations  have  their  annual  and  some 
their  semi-annual,  meetings,  in  their  respective  territory,  the  State  Associa- 
tion meets  annually  in  July  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  and 
Texas  Experiment  Station,  at  College  Station.  Delegates  from  the  other 
associations  attend. 

This  association  has  been  instrumental  in  obtaining  several  measures, 
chief  among  which  is  the  experimental  apiary  at  the  A.  and  M.  College; 
then  the  Texas  foul-brood  law  was  due  to  its  efforts.  The  adoption  of 
the  standard  honey-cans  was  a  move  of  this  association,  as  well  as  obtain- 
ing at  the  large  fairs  at  San  Antonio  and  the  State  Fair  at  Dallas  premium 
lists  for  bee-keepers'  exhibits  to  the  amount  of  $300  at  each  of  these. 
The  association  has  also  a  special  committee  to  look  after  exhibits  at 
fairs;  hence  large  and  creditable  exhibits  of  bee-keepers'  products  represent 
the  industry  at  such  places,  with  the  result  that  the  industry  is  furthered 
thereby. 

"In  union  there  is  strength,"  so  it  is  with  a  State  Association  of  bee- 
keepers, and  every  State  should  have  one.  The  Texas  association  at  the 
same  time  is  affiliated  with  the  Texas  Farmers'  Congress,  of  which  it  is 
the  bee-keepers'  section.  This  congress  comprises  some  two  dozen  State 
agricultural  associations,  each  representing  its  industry.  All  the  members 
of  the  State  association  become  members  of  the  National  gee-keeper's 
Association,  by  joining  it  in  a  body,  at  50  cents  each,  thereby  receiving 
all  the  privileges  and  the  protection  of  that  great  association.  Besides 
this,  special  low  rates  are  given  on  subscriptions  to  the  different  bee- 
journals,  as  an  additional  inducement.  The  membership  to  both  associa- 
tions in  the  above  way  is  only  $1.00;  and  if  several  journals  are  subscribed 
for,  enough   is   saved  on  them  to  pay  for   this.     Gleanings   in  Bee   Culture 


122  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

is  given  for  50  cents;  American  Bee  Journal,  50  cents;  Bee-keepers'  Re- 
mew,  75  cents,  and  American  Bee-keeper  for  25  cents  a  year,  ii  ordered 
through  the  secretary,  with  the  annual  dues  to  the  association. ' 

The  officers  are  elected  annually,  and  at  present  consist  of  W.  O. 
Victor,  of  Hondo,  President;  D.  C.  Milam,  Uvalde,  Vice-president,  and 
the  writer  has  been  for  ten  years  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

Louis  H.  Scholl. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  OKLAHOMA. 

Mendon,  Okla. 

Bee-keeping  is  certainly  not  crowded  in  this  part  of  the  new  State, 
although  from  the  name  of  our  new  county,  Alfalfa,  one  would  naturally 
think  it  would  be  a  favorable  place;  and  there  are  many  acres  of  alfalfa 
grown  in  this  country,  though  not  much  in  this  exact  location,  the  sand  hills. 

Alfalfa  and  cow-peas  are  the  chief  sources  of  honey,  though  there 
are  black-locust  trees,  some  sumac,  and  various  wild  flowers.  There  is 
a  yellow  flower  that  grows  thickly  about  pasture  lands,  and  blooms  in 
August  and  September.  It  has  a  sweet  odor,  and  is  surrounded  all  day 
by  bees  and  other  nectar-loving  insects.  It  is  called  broom-weed  here  be- 
cause of  its  umbilical  top,  I  suppose. 

I  had  a  season  of  reverses,  so  I  haven't  much  to  report.  However, 
one  swarm  that  came  off  the  i8th  of  July  stored  122  lbs.  of  honey,  although 
I  fed,  some  late  in  the  fall  to  induce  them  to  draw  out  foundation  and  seal 
stores,  part  of  which  I  used  for  a  weak  colony  that  had  had  foul  brood, 
and  had  been  shaken  into  a  new  hive  and  requeened  too  late  to  store 
sufficient  for  winter. 

There  are  a  few  other  bee-keepers  in  this  vicinity,  of  whom  W.  B. 
Uptegrove,  near  Byron,  is  probably  the  most  extensive.  Mr.  Uptegrove 
is  located  in  the  edge  of  the  alfalfa  belt,  and  has  sixty  acres  on  his  own 
farm,  also  sixty  acres  of  black-locust  trees.  He  cultivates  hoarhound  as 
a  honey-plant  too,  and  I  am  told  that  he  is  a  generous  feeder  with  granu- 
lated sugar  when  the  honey-flow  is  short. 

He  has  been  retailing  honey  at  20  cents  a  pound,  as  prices  are  good 
any  way. 

The  Angle  brothers  also  keep  bees.  John  Angle,  near  Mendon,  was 
reported  to  have  had  a  good  yield  last  year,  but  I  did  not  learn  the  amount. 
His  brother  who  keeps  bees  is  located  near  Byron.  I  have  not  much  in- 
formation' regarding  the  extent  of  his  bee-keeping. 

With  the  increasing  amount  of  alfalfa  and  cow-peas,  I  think  our  bee 
pasturage  is  sure  to  improve.  There  is  a  long  season  with  cowpeas,  as 
they  begin  blooming  in  June  and  continue  till  frozen  in  the  fall.  Fruit- 
bloom  comes  in  March,  and  is  soon  followed  by  dandelion  and  various 
wild  flowers. 

Mary  L.  Hawley, 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  123 

BEE-KEEPING  IN   THE   INDIAN   TERRITORY. 

It  was  once  the  author's  good  pleasure  to  make  a  prospecting-tour 
through  the  Indian  Territory,  and  he  was  favorably  impressed  with  it  as  a 
bee  and  honey  country.  I  saw  some  traces  of  bee-keeping  in  many  loca- 
tions, and  the  reports  were  good  and  encouraging.  The  most  extensive 
bee-keeper  we  saw  was  a  widow  Cherokee  Indian;  but  as  she  could  speak 
American  language  but  little  we  did  not  get  much  information  regarding 
her  bees;  but  she  was  tending  a  small  plot  of  land  with  a  hoe,  and  keeping 
bees  to  support  herself  and  four  small  children.  Her  apiary  consisted 
of  about  100  colonies  in  home-made  hives,  constructed  with  two  apartments. 
The  bottom  one,  she  said,  was  for  the  bees,  and  the  top  story  for  the 
honey.  The  hives  were  not  modern  in  design,  but  they  were  well  con- 
structed and  neat  in  appearance.  There  were  no  cracks  or  openings  about 
them  chinked  up  with  cotton  or  rags,  and  the  covers  fit  down  well,  being 
made  of  wide  lumber,  and  another  wide  board  nailed  on  top  of  the  cover 
crosswise  so  as  to  keep  them  from  warping.  The  covers  were  not  nailed 
or  pegged  to  the  hives.  The  apiary  was.  nicely  arranged  in  a  grove  of 
small  trees,  and  swept  and  cleaned  out  as  well  as  wc  could  expect  a  house- 
keeper to  keep  her  house  swept  out.  No  plank,  trash,  nor  boards  were 
found  about  it.  From  the  outside  appearance  the  apiary  received  all  the 
care  or  attention  that  a  good  ^honest  apiarist  could  give  it,  and  undoubtedly 
the  bees  received  some  modern  care.  We  camped  over  night  near  her 
house,  and  I  went  up  to  her  house  for  a  small  amount  of  honey  for  supper. 
She  said,  "run  out  or  stay  in?"  I  said,  "stay  in,"  and  she  filled  the  small 
bucket  with  nice  chunks  of  honey.  The  honey  was  fine  in  flavor  and  color. 
We  ate  it  up  at  supper,  and  in  the  morning  I  went  back  to  her  house  for 
a  supply  to  carry  with  us,  and  called  for  "run  out,"  and  she  filled  the 
bucket  with  strained  honey. 

That  apiary  and  poor  widow,  depending  largely  upon  her  bees  for  her 
own  and  her  children's  support,  made  a  strong  and  lasting  impression  on 
my  mind.  We  found  a  few  in  the  Choctaw  Nation  engaged  in  bee-keeping, 
on  a  small  scale,  and  who  reported  good  returns  from  their  bees.  We 
felled  a  few  very  rich  bee-trees  during  our  travel  there,  and  the  general 
outlook  for  bee-keeping  seemed  to  be  all  any  one  could  expect,  except 
transportation,  which  was  poor. 


BEE-KEEPING    IN    ARKANSAS. 

The  author  lived  in  that  State  eight  years,  and  was  connected  with 
bee-keeping  which  proved  to  be  profitable.  Unquestionably  Arkansas  has 
some  of  the  finest  bee  pastures  the  writer  has  ever  seen ;  but  transportation 
was  not  sufficient  to  justify  extensive  bee-keeping  at  that  time  in  the  best 


124  SOUTHER^f  BEE  CULTURE 

locations.     Honey  was  plentiful  in  the  forest,  and  it  was  not  necessary  to 
keep  an  apiary  to  have  honey  for  home  use  or  for  the  market.     At  certain 
times  of  the  year  there  were  men  who  did  nothing  but  ramble  in  the  forest 
hunting  and  felling  bee-trees,  and  Who  sold  the  honey  to  other  settlers  or  to 
steamboat  proprietors  at  boat-landings  along  the  navigable  streams,  or  to  any 
one  at  any  price.     In  some  sections  there  was  not  only  a  great  variety  of 
honey-plants,  but  they  were  in  great  abundance.     Elspecially  was  this  true  in 
the  prairie  sections,  for  the  forest  along  the  edge  of  the  prairie  contained 
much     basswood     and     other     honey-plants     common     in     the     Southwest; 
then   the   points   or   scopes   of   timber   extending   out   on   the   prairie   were 
lined  with  hazelnut  and  sumac,  and  other  small   shrubs  which  were  great 
bloomers  and  good  honey-plants  for  which  I  know  no  names.     Then  along 
on  the  prairies  were  large  bodies  of  land  covered  by  sumac.     From  early- 
spring  until   late   in  the   fall  the   prairies   were   lined   with    flowers   of   all 
kinds,   colors,   and    sizes,   and   many   of   them   were   honey-plants.     Horse- 
mint  was  also  in  great  abundance,  so  the  bees  continued  to  work  upon  blos- 
soms.   In  Arkansas  Co.,  near  Violet,  on  the  edge  of  Ball  Prairie,  a  colony  of 
bees  made  the  best  record  I  have  ever  known  one  to  make.     G.  W.  Rush,  a 
farmer,  found  a  bee-tree,  late  in  the  fall,  and  early  the  next  spring  he  felled 
it,  sawed  it  oflf  below  and  above  the  bees,  and  nailed  a  bottom  and  top  on  it 
and  carried  it  home  and  set  it  up  under  a  tree.     During  that  season  that 
colony  swarmed  several  times,  and  its  swarms  swarmed,  and  seven  swarms 
were   cast  in   all,   and   six  of  them  were   hived  in  box  hives   and  one   ab- 
sconded,  about   one   barrel   of   surplus   honey   was   removed    from   the    lot, 
and  they  all  went  into  winter  quarters  heavy  with  stores.     Henry  Williams, 
in  the  same  location,  operated  an  apiary  of  about  sixty  colonies  in  log  gums, 
and  always  had  more  honey  than  he   could  dispose  of.     He  had  some  in 
an  earthen  jar,  several  years  old.    I  sampled  it  and  it  was  fine  in  flavor  and 
nearly  light  in  color.     The  last  season  we  were  in  that  location  we  gave 
their   apiary   the  necessary   attention.     Many   swarms   were  saved,   and   we 
obtained  for  our  part  a  wagon  load  of  honey  which  we  carried  to  Little 
Rock  apd  sold  at  a  fancy  price. 

We  came  into  this  section  from  the  Indian  Territory;  and  after  this 
we  continued  to  travel  and  saw  a  great  future  for  the  bee  and  honey 
industry  in  that  State,  and  I  am  glad  to  know  of  the  progress  it  has 
made,  and  the  possibilities  that  are  yet  ahead. 

Statistics  given  elsewhere  in  this  book  show  that  bees  give  a  good 
surplus  of  honey  in  that  State,  and  that  a  large  amount  of  it  is  saved. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  MISSISSIPPL 

Leota,  Miss. 
Bee  culture  in  the  South  is  remunerative,  interesting,  and  enjoyable.    The 
flora  of   the   South   is  varied,  and  supplies  great  quantities  of  nectar  and 
pollen.     Bees  gather  the  nectar  with  ease,  and  store  it  by  the  ton.     They 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  125 

multiply  rapidly  by  the  thousands — a  benefit  if  handled  with  skill,  but  an  in- 
iury  if  handled  with  negligence.  Best  results  are  obtained  by  having  enough 
room  all  the  time  for  honey  and  brood.  Increase  works  like  a  charm. 
Negligence  brings  on  bad  results  immediately.  Nothing  in  the  world  responds 
with  more  celerity,  certainty,  and  safety  than  bees  under  the  care  and  direc- 
tion of  man.  The  subject-matter  is  intensely  interesting  if  viewed  either 
from  the  work  involved  or  the  thought  required  to  study  the  nature  of  the 
bees.  It  is  enjoyable  because  it  necessitates  outdoor  work,  thereby  giving 
invigorating  health,  strength,  and  contentment.  The  balmy  sun  of  the  South 
and  the  gentle  breezes  do  the  rest. 

The  flora  of  this  vicinity  begins  to  bloom  the  last  of  February,  and  ex- 
tends to  the  last  of  November.  One  set  of  blooms  dovetails  into  the  others, 
so  that  there  is  a  continuity  of  flowers  for  ten  months.  A  tremendous  honey- 
flow  extends  over  April,  May,  June,  and  July. 

Fruit  and  forest  trees  secrete  a  great  quantity  of  nectar.  We  have  vast 
forests;  innumerable  wild  vines,  plants,  and  shrubs  yield  delicious  nectar. 
The  cotton-plant,  the  producer  of  the  renowned  fleecy  staple,  is  at  home  upon 
our  fertile  acres,  and  yields  a  vast  amount  of  superior  nectar. 

Many  and  varied  blossoms  supply  nectar  at  the  same  time,  hence  it  is 
impossible  to  differentiate  and  tell  the  exact  source  and  quantity  whence 
any  particular  honey  is  obtained.  That  fact  is  eagerly  seized  by  the  North. 
who  imagine  it  is  a  stinging  fling  at  us  to  brand  ours  as  "Southern  Honey." 
We  accept  the  same  as  a  badge  of  honor,  and  will  wear  the  same  worthily. 

Dr.  O.  M.  Blanton,  Greenville,  Miss.,  is  a  pioneer  among  bees,  and  has. 
successfully  handled  them  for  thirty  years.  He  has  about  300  colonies.  R, 
J.  Adams,  Greenville,  Miss.,  is  an  old  bee-man,  and  has  about  200  colonies. 
Joel  Johnson,  Leota,  Miss.,  is  a  genius  in  an  apiary,  and  is  very  successful. 
He  has  about  150  colonies.  I  successfully  handle  164  colonies,  having  made 
money  every  year.  I  extracted  this  year  21,600  lbs  of  honey.  Bees  winter 
upon  their  summer  stands,  and  are  never  diseased.    This  is  a  bee  paradise. 

ThO.    WORTlllNGTON, 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  EAST  MISSISSIPPI. 

Penn,  Miss. 

There  are  few  bee-keepers  in  Mississippi  of  consequence,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  field  is  new  and  the  territory  has  been  limited  up  to  the  last  few 
years.  Of  late  years,  with  the  introduction  of  sweet  clover  (melilotus), 
or  botanically  known  as  Melilotus  Alba,  for  the  renovation  of  poor  run-down 
and  wasted  lands,  bee-keeping  has  been  growing  rapidly,  arid  the  crops  being 
made  in  East  Mississippi  are  proof  that  this  section  is  destined  to  be  one  of 
the  principal  honey-producing  parts  of  th?  United  States. 

In  addition  to  sweet  clover  as  a  honey-plant  we  have  Spanish  needle, 
cotton  bloom,  and  other  plants.  Fall  aster  is  the  last  bloom  we  get.  Bees 
usually  get  enough  from  this  plant  to  go  into  winter  quarters  in  good  shape. 


ia6  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

For  surplus  honey  we  depend  entirely  on  sweet  clover,  Spanish  needle, 
and  cotton  bloom;  but  the  most  important  of  all  is  sweet  clover,  which  has 
been  a  never-failing  source.  There  are  thousands  of  acres  of  this  plant  in 
East  Mississippi  that  would  be  a  paradise  for  expert  bee-keepers  to  get  into. 

One  of  the  largest  bee-keepers  in  this  section  has  told  me  time  and 
time  again  that  his  ten-year  average  has  been  over  loo  pounds.  He  also  said 
that  he  made  an  average  of  140  pounds  one  season.  He  handles  comb 
honey  entirely.  The  party  in  question  is  Mr.  Geo.  A.  Hummer,  of  Prairie 
Point,  Miss. ;  but  by  the  time  this  article  reaches  the  press  Mr.  Hummer  will 
be  a  resident  of  Colorado.  He  is  not  quitting  this  section  to  embark  in  the 
bee  business  in  Colorado,  as  he  has  other  interests  that  are  drawing  him  to 
that  State. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Cavett,  of  Macon,  Miss.,  is  making  a  success  in  bee-keeping,  and 
has  produced  some  large  yields  of  surplus  honey. 

Most  of  the  honey  produced  is  comb  honey.  Very  few  bee-keepers  run 
for  extracted  honey. 

The  writer  of  this  article  has  several  hundred  colonies  of  bees  and 
made  a  90-lb.  average  this  season,  notwithstanding  the  spring  was  one  of  the 
hardest  ever  experienced  in  this  section,  and  bees  were  in  very  bad  shape 
when  the  honey-flow  commenced. 

There  is  no  section  of  the  United  States  that  is  more  promising  to  the 
man  who  depends  on  his  own  labor  that  East  Mississippi.  The  land  is  very 
productive.  All  kinds  of  crops  can  be  grown  with  success.  Alfalfa  hay  is  be- 
ing grown  extensively  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  and  commands  a  good 
price;  and  at  the  present  time  choice  alfalfa  hay  is  bringing  $20.00  per  ton 
to  the  producer.  .  The  deep  prairie  soils  of  East  Mississippi  will  produce  from 
three  to  six  tons  of  this  hay  every  season.  The  mild  winters  experienced  here 
are  very  conducive  to  stock-raising,  as  stock  do  not  have  the  attention  here 
they  do  in  the  North,  and  can  pasture  nine  and  ten  months  in  the  year.  The 
land  is  reasonably  cheap ;  in  fact,  it  is  not  bringing  half  value. 

What  better  opportunities  could  a  good  hustling  bee-keeper  want  than 
as  outlined  above,  bee-keeping,  stock-raising,  and  farming?  These  three  are 
usually  followed  by  the  bee-keeper  on  the  farm;  that  is,  the  man  who  owns 
his  own  farm. 

W.  P.  Smith, 


LIST  OF  SOME  OF  THE  LARGEST   BEE-KEEPERS   IN  MISSISS- 
IPPI, AND  ADDRESSES. 

J.  B.  Cunningham,  Cliftonville ;  R.  V.  Goss,  Shannan;  Lawrence  Gould, 
Crawford;  W.  P.  Smith,  Penn ;  C.  D.  Pritchard,  Penn;  R.  A.  Whitfield, 
Weathersby;  Bat  Williams,  Mayhew;  J.  S.  Cavett,  Macon;  Francis  Stiles, 
Sessums,  and   Dr.   J.   C.   Roberts,   Agricultural    College. 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  127 

BEE-KEEPING  IN  LOUISIANA. 

Hineston,  La. 

The  valleys  of  the  Mississippi,  Ouachita,  Black,  and  Red  Rivers  are  best 
for  bee-keeping,  as  the  soil  is  richer  and  produces  a  much  more  vigorous 
plant;  hence,  naturally,  they  yield  more  nectar. 

The  honey-plants  most  common  along  these  valleys  are  the  clovers, 
rattan,  wild  grape,  and  a  few  others. 

Of  the  above-mentioned  honey-plants  the  clovers  are  most  to  be  depended 
on.  They  commence  to  bloom  generally  about  the  first  of  March,  and 
bloom  more  or  less  throughout  the  summer,  the  seasons  having  nearly  all 
to  do  with  the  amount  of  nectar  they  yield.  The  best  colonies  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  will  probably  give  a  surplus  of  fifty  pounds  from  this 
source  of  the  finest  flavor,  and  very  clear,  almost  water-white.  The  above- 
mentioned  plant  commences  to  bloom  anywhere  from  March  i  to  June  i,  and 
give  more  or  less  nectar,  according  to  the  conditions  of  the  weather. 

There  is,  however,  a  vine  known  to  thp  writer  as  black  vine,  growing  in 
the  swamps  along  some  of  these  rivers  that  yields  more  nectar  than  the 
clovers  or  any  other  plant  that  I  am  acquainted  with ;  but,  unfortunately,  the 
honey  from  this  source  is  very  dark,  and  has  a  poor  flavor.  This  vine  com- 
mences to  bloom,  as  nearly  as  I  remember,  about  June  i,  and  blooms  on  till 
frost ;  and  the  yield  from  this  source  will  probably  exceed  100  lbs.  surplus 
per  average  colony. 

There  are  numerous  other  honey-plants  throughout  the  State,  yielding 
some  honey  each  year,  but  only  a  small  quantity,  and  of  a  poor  quality. 
Among  these  I  will  mention  the  horsemint,  goldenrod,  sumac,  holly,  black 
gum  and  bitterweed.  The  holly  and  black  gum  are  the  best,  and  the  only 
source  giving  a  surplus  throughout  the  pine-woods  portion  of  Rapides 
Parish ;  and  the  honey  from  these  sources  has  an  excellent  flavor,  and  is 
almost  water-white. 

The  best  average  surplus  I  have  ever  been  able  to  get  from  these  plants 
was  about  50  lbs.  from  my  very  best  colonies  during  the  most  favorable  sea- 
sons. These  plants  generally  commence  to  bloom  about  April  15  to  25,  ac- 
cording to  the  weather,  and  continue  to  bloom  for  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
days. 

I  will  next  say  something  of  the  bee-keeper;  and  by  special  request  of 
Mr  ^^  ilder  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  make  mention  of  my  own  business, 
which  I  will,  notwithstanding  this  is  not  pleasant  to  me.  There  are  very  few 
practical  bee-keepers  in  Louisiana,  and  only  two  queen-breeders  of  whom 
I  have  any  knowledge.  In  regard  to  my  own  business  I  am  running  72  colo- 
nies of  Italian  bees  in  three  yards  as  follows:  40  at  my  home  yard  (Hine- 
ston) ;  20  at  the  Barrington  yard,  and  12  at  the  Talbert  yard.  The  latter  yard 
is  five  miles  west  of  Hineston,  and  the  former  six  miles  south.  I  am  also 
running  quite  an  extensive  queen-rearing  business  at  Hineston.  I  use  the 
eight  and  fifteen  frame  Langstroth  hive  exclusively,  and  produce  chunk  or 
bulk  honey  principally.  I  have  been  running  a  bee  business  here  for  twelve 
years,  and  this  year,  1907,  has  been  the  first  year  to  fail  completely.     Out  of 


128  SOUTHERN  BEE-CULTURE 

72  colonies,  of  which  the  most  were  in  fine  shape,  I  failed  to  get  one  pound  of 
honey,  and  have  fed  the  40  colonies  at  home  350  pounds  of  granulated  sugar. 
Those  at  the  outyards  were  able  to  pull  through  till  spring  without  help 
I  am  selling  a  few  bee-supplies  to  accommodate  the  few  bee-keepers  around 
me. 

Following  is  a  list  of  bee-keepers  in  the  State,  with  their  postoffice  ad- 
dresses : 

Elijah  Williamson,  Leesville ;  H.  T.  Hitch,  Pineville;  J.  Davenport, 
Tioga;  R.  H.  Martin,  Pawnee;  Edwin  Orr,  Quitman;  J.  P.  Odom,  Farmer- 
ville ;  O.  A.  Lilly,  Montrose ;  David  Gordy,  Provincal ;  Henry  Andries,  Many ; 
Lewis  Thomas,  Boyce;  John  Boswell,  Stille;  Joe  Price,  Hineston;  Daniel 
Andries,  Elmer;  H.  L.  Melder,  Melder;  Ointon  Bass,  Sycamore;  W.  H. 
Ragan,  Donaldsonville ;  J.  W.  K.  Shaw,  Loreauville ;  J.  H.  Meads,  Chey- 
neyville,  and  R.  CyShea,  Alexandria. 

W.  T.  Crawford, 


BEE-KEEPINiG  IN  LOUISIANA. 

Benton,  La. 

I  have  never  written  anything  for  publication  on  bees,  but  can  give  you 
my  own  experience  if  that  is  of  any  value. 

I  bought  two  colonies  in  box  hives  in  1872 — the  only  kind  of  hives  in 
use  in  the  State  at  that  time.  I  sent  to  A.  I.  Root  for  some  Simplicity-frame 
hives  and  transferred  them,  and  in  a  few  years  from  their  increase,  and  others 
that  I  purchased,  I  had  500  colonies — 400  of  them  at  one  yard — and  have 
secured  as  much  as  5000  gallons  in  one  season  of  extracted  honey.  At  that 
time  the  range  was  all  natural  growth;  but  since  then  the  land  has  been 
cleared  and  is  now  in  cultivation,  and  does  not  produce  honey,  though  there 
are  yet  locations  ini  the  State  that  would  probably  do  as  well.  There  was 
not  much  attention  paid  to  bees  in  this  State  until  within  the  last  few 
years,  and  I  suppose  that  now  two-thirds  of  the  bees  are  in  box  hives.  They 
are  left  on  their  summer  stands.  Once  a  year  they  are  robbed,  then  left  for 
next  year,  producing  about  20  or  25  lbs.  of  honey,  sometimes  none,  and 
maybe  two  swarms  which  generally  go  to  the  woods;  and  there  is  about  as 
much  honey  taken  from  trees  as  box  hives ;  but  it  is  very  inferior  and  dark, 
all  mashed  up,  and  then  strained,  and  sold  at  a  very  low  price,  thus  injuring 
the  sale  of  good  extracted  honey. 

Bees  are  free  from  disease  here.  I  have  heard  of  but  one  case  of  foul 
brood  in  the  State,  and  that  was  at  the  experiment  station  among  some 
bees  brought  from  Texas,  and  they  were  destroyed  at  once. 

The  honey  produced  here  is  a  light  amber,  and  of  fine  flavor,  when 
handled  right.  We  are  getting  a  large  amount  now  from  alfalfa;  but  the 
principal  plants  are  vines  of  all  description,  and  timber  of  natural  growth. 
I  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  and  diploma-  at  the  Jamestown  Exposition  for 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  129 

highest  award  on  honey  and  beeswax;  also  a  diploma  of  honor  at  Portland, 
Ore.,  and  have  eleven  other  diplomas  for  first  premiums  at  parish  and  State 
fairs,  showing  you  that  our  honey  is  good  when  handled  right. 

Wjvi.  J.  Dawson, 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  LINCOLN  CO.,  TENN. 

HARMS,   TENN. 

As  this  is  not  considered  a  very  good  bee  and  honey  section  it  may  pay 
all  who  are  thinking  of  coming  from  other  sections  of  the  South  or  from 
the  North  to  select  carefully  a  location  with  reference  to  what  they  wish 
to  follow  in  connection  with  bee-keeping.  We  have  a  great  variety  of  soils, 
from  the  very  best  alluvial  in  the  river-bottom  lands,  to  the  poorest  high- 
lands or  barrens.  Between  these  two  extremes  we  have  beautiful  hills  and 
valleys  that  will  produce  fruits  and  grain  of  nearly  all  kinds  produced  in 
this  latitude.  These  hills  and  valleys  have  been  denuded  of  their  dense  cover- 
ing of  primeval  forest  growth  to  a  very  great  extent. 

One  who  'comes  here  to  start  in  bee-keeping  should  be  prepared  to  follow 
some  other  vocation  in  connection  with  it,  although  there  is  one  man  in  this 
county  who  keeps  bees  alone  as  a  business,  and  his  average  is  about  12,000 
lbs.  of  honey  per  annum.  This  man  is  Jim  Moyers,  of  Fayetteville,  and  he 
is  a  very  prosperous  citizen.  But  there  are  quite  a  number  of  others  who 
keep  bees  in  connection  with  other  pursuits,  such  as  farming  and  poultry- 
raising,  and  fanciers,  etc. 

The  reason  I  refer  to  the  loss  of  our  primeval  forest  growth  is  because, 
back  in  my  younger  days  (I  am  now  38  years  old)  here  in  this  county  there 
were  numberless  quantities  of  gigantic  poplar  and  basswood  trees  to  bloom, 
which  give  us  a  very  heavy  honey-flow.  Now  there  is  scarcely  any  poplar 
except  small  growth,  and  the  basswood  is  also  going;  but  we  have  other 
sources  of  honey  to  come  in  their  stead,  and  in  time  we  may  come  up  to  our 
old-time  place  as  a  bee-keeping  land. 

Our  new  sources  of  honey  are  the  white  aster  and  alsike  clover.  The 
aster  makes  one  of  our  finest  varieties  of  table  honey.  It  came  to  th^s 
country  in  hay  from  the  Northern  States ;  and  the  first  appearance  of  it 
was  during  the  Civil  War.  It  has  fast  spread  all  over  this  country;  and, 
aside  from  its  great  value  as  a  honey-plant,  it  makes  a  good  pasture  for 
cattle.  If  good  seasons  prevail  just  about  a  fortnight  before  the  aster  comes 
in  bloom,  and  then  if  the  nights  are  cool  when  the  plant  blooms  well,  you 
may  get  busy,  for  the  bees  will  fill  their  hives  in  a  week.  I  took  1080  lbs. 
of  honey  from  29  colonies  from  the  aster  flow  of  1907,  and  did  not  extract 
any  from  the  brood,  the  brood-nests,  or  bottom  stories  of  my  hivtfs,  which 
are  eight  and  ten  frame  Langstroth. 

White  clover  is  next  to  aster  as  a  honey-plant ;  and  about  every  three 
years  it  gives  a  good  crop;  1906  was  its  good  season,  and  I  took  off  about 


I3P  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

35  lbs.  per  colony  of  honey  from  this  source.  Sometimes  we  have  a  good 
flow  from  basswood;  but  as  chestnut  and  sourwood  bloom  about  the  same 
time  we  do  not  often  get  any  pure  basswood  honey.  Often  we  get  about  35 
lbs.  per  colony  from  these  several  sources,  which  is  our  summer  flow.  I 
usually  take  off  honey  twice  a  year— once  about  June  i,  and  again  in  August. 
The  first  is  white-clover  honey,  and  the  latter  is  from  basswood,  asters,  chest- 
nut, etc.    The  sourwood  yields  honey  in  the  pea-ridge,  or  "barren"  sections. 

Our  honey  and  pollen  plants  are  quite  numerous,  and  bloom  about  as 
follows:  First,  water-maple,  elm,  red  cedar,  fruit-bloom,  redbud,  box-elder, 
black  g^um,  crimson  clover,  poplar-trees,  white  clover,  alsike  clover,  persim- 
mon, capel-tree,  or  paradise-bush ;  sumac,  chestnut,  basswood,  sourwood,  cot- 
ton, cowpea,  boneset,  many  varieties  of  melons ;  aster,  goldenrod,  rabbit-foot 
clover,  toy-weed;  and,  about  every  third  year  we  have  honey-dew  from 
aphides  on  hickory. 

The  progressive  bee-keepers  in  my  section  are,  James  Moyer,  Joe  Mont- 
gomery, John  Pigg,  Mr.  Parker,  Col.  Galoway,  D.  J.  Douthit,  Joe  Thomison, 
and  myself. 

J.   H.   Bearden. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  ALABAMA. 

Fort  Deposit,  Ala. 

Replying  to  yours  asking  for  a  write-up  of  bee-keeping  in  my  State,  ow- 
ing to  the  short  time  you  have  given  me  I  will  confine  myself  to  my  county 
(Lowndes),  which  was   once  a   fine  bee   country. 

Our  first  flow  after  fruit-bloom  is  poplar,  which  sometimes  yields  100 
lbs.  of  surplus,  commencing  in  April  and  lasting  until  about  the  15th  of  May. 
We  then  have  a  dearth  of  honey  until  about  June  i,  when  wahoo  or  basswood 
begins  to  yield,  lasting  from  fifteen  to. twenty  days,  in  good  seasons  coming 
in  such  quantities  that  the  bees  fall  in  heaps  in  front  of  the  hives,  and  the  whole 
yard  has  that  peculiar  aromatic  smell  that  basswood  alone  has.  I  have  taken 
more  than  100  lbs.  from  that  source  alone  of  extracted  hone\,  without  any 
special  attention.  Oh,  if  all  the  trees  were  poplar  and  basswood,  wouldn't  we 
bee-keepers  be  happy  I  But,  alas!  the  timber-men  have  invaded  our  happy 
hunting-ground,  and  the  cotton-planter  has  followed  close  on  the  heels  and 
turned  a  once  fine  bee-range  into  a  cotton  farm  which  soon  turns  rich  black 
fertile  land  into  a  red-gullied  unsightly  region. 

But  this  same  cotton-plant  on  rich  bottom  land,  some  seasons,  gives  us 
a  nice  surplus;  but  the  hill  lands  do  not  amount  to  much  for  surplus,  but 
yield  enough  for  queen-rearing.  This  plant  commences  to  bloom  about  the 
15th  of  June,  continuing  until  frost,  making  a  beautiful  sight  with  its  dark- 
green  leaves  and  cream-colored  blooms  covering  millions  of  acres.  We  can 
always  tell  when  it  is  yielding  well  by  the  appearance  of  the  bees  when  they 
enter  the  hive,  as  their  coat  is  covered  with  the  yellowish  dust;  but  I   do 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  131 

not  consider  the  honey  the  best.  In  a  damp  season  it  has  a  way  of  ferment- 
ing, or  working  in  the  combs.  I  hava  seen  the  cappings  somewhat  raised 
from  the  combs  from  this  cause.  While  some  seasons  the  honey  is  light  in 
color  ^nd  good  flavor  (mind  you,  I  am  giving  only  facts  in  this  immediate  lo- 
cation) a  great  many  tell  me  from  other  sections  that  the  honey  is  fine  in 
color  and  flavor. 

But  still  there  is  a  bright  side  to  this  seemingly  dark  picture.  In  the 
lime  lands  or  prairie  belt  of  our  State,  where  the  land  has  got  too  poor  to 
grow  cotton  or  other  crops,  melilotus,  or  sweet  clover,  has  stepped  in  and 
commenced  to  rebuild  what  cotton  has  torn  down.  It  takes  hold  of  all  waste 
places  such  as  roadsides,  ditch-banks,  and  flourishes  in  deepest  gullies  where 
nothing  else  will  grow.  I  have  seen  it  six  to  seven  feet  high  in  the  deepest 
gullies,  which  it  soon  fills  up  and  again  produces  fine  crops.  I  have  knowfl 
land  that  made  only  about  eight  bushels  of  corn  per  acre,  which  when  run 
in  sweet  clover  for  a  few  years,  would  yield  from  25  to  30  bushels;  so  it 
seems  as  if  nature  were  giving  us  something  back  to  take  the  place  of  our 
forest ;  and  the  beauty  of  it  is  our  farmers  are  not  fighting  it  as  I  see  they  do 
in  some  States.  How  a  farmer  can  be  so  blind  to  his  own  interest  I  can't 
see.  Our  farmers  are  mowing  hundreds  of  tons  of  hay  from  it,  and  say  it 
is  the  very  best.  They  are  the  very  ones  who  introduced  it  here;  but  the 
bee  man  has  begun  to  reap  a  rich  harvest  from  it.  It  begins  to  bloom  about 
June  I,  here,  and  yields  a  light-colored  and  fine-flavored  honey  when  well 
ripened  on  the  hive.  I  think  it  is  as  fine  as  we  can  produce  here.  The  yield 
varies  according  to  the  amount  of  waste  land  and  the  location.  I  can  give 
you  some  idea  by  mentioning  one  instance. 

A  few  years  ago  a  friend  of  mine  bought  an  apiary,  paying  $500  for  it, 
taking  possession  in  June.  He  paid  for  it  in  sixty  days  with  melilotus  honey, 
that  being  his  onlj  source.  You  can  see  by  this  it  is  a  fine  yielder,  and  has  the 
fewest  off  years  of  any  plant  I  know  of,  consequently  the  prairie  belt  is  be- 
coming dotted  with  beautiful  up-to-date  apiaries  with  modern  methods;  aod 
business  men  are  not  only  investing  their  hundreds  but  thousands  in  the 
business.  A  few  whom  I  will  mention  are  located  in  my  county,  some 
twelve  miles  north  of  me.  The  Letohatchee  apiaries,  the  owners  of  which 
are  putting  in  something  like  700  colonies  with  up-to-date  hives  and  methods. 
Sweet  clover  there  is  the  only  source;  also  two  enterprising  young  men, 
Messrs.  Brown  and  Knight,  of  Hayeville,  Ala.,  who  own  several  large 
apiaries,  something  like  500  colonies,  besides  several  large  apiaries  outside  the 
county,  Mr.  Brown  is  a  New  York  man ;  Mr.  Knight,  a  native  Alabamian ; 
also  a  Mr.  David  S.  Hurst,  of  Letohatchee,  Ala.,  who  is  engaging  in  the  busi- 
ness quite  extensively,  owning  several  hundred  colonies,  besides  being  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  queen-business.  Besides  these  is  Mr.  C.  M.  Berry, 
of  Morganville,  Ala.,  who  owns  several  hundred  colonies,  making  a  success  of 
the  business.    I  think  he  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  full  of  Southern  grit. 

Besides  these  are  hundreds  of  small  apiaries  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Now  comes  the  most  difficult  part  of  this  article,  that  is,  trying  to  tell 
you  something  of  my  own  experience.     I  have  been  interested  in  bees  since 


132  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

my  earliest  recollections,  putting  them  in  log  gums,  box  hives,  and  sawing- 
holes  in  the  columns  of  verandas,  etc.  Until  the  Root  Co.  sent  out  their 
simplicity  hive  I  had  never  heard  of  a  frame  hive,  which  I  was  quick  to 
adopt,  seeing  at  once  the  value  of  the  movable  frame,  and  have  kept  up  with 
every  improvement  that  has  been  put  out. 

My  first  venture  after  adopting  the  movable-comb  hive  was  to  produce 
comb  honey,  which  I  studied  with  all  the  enthusiasm  that  an  enthusiastic  bee- 
keeper ever  had;  but  I  soon  decided  that  my  location  was  unsuitable  for 
comb  honey,  it  being  too  dark.  My  next  was  extracted  honey;  but  did  not 
like  that.  All  this  time  I  was  studying  the  most  important  part  of  modern 
bee-keeping,  the  queen.  I  have  bred  queens  by  every  known  method,  and 
some  never  given  to  the  public.  I  have  worked  untiringly  for  the  last  twenty 
years  at  the  business,  having  been  a  queen  specialist  for  fifteen  years,  furnish- 
ing some  of  the  largest  dealers  in  the  business.  I  have  never  advertised  ex- 
tensively, owing  to  the  above  fact;  but  some  of  my  old  customers  are  still 
giving  me  their  orders,  which  shows  I  am  trying  hard  to  please;  but  I  think 
it  more  from  the  love  of  the  pursuit  and  a  good  location  for  queen-rearing 
than  anything  else,  which  is  a  long-drawn-out  honey-fiow.  I  would  almost  as 
soon  have  no  honey  coming  in  as  a  heavy  flow  foY  queen-rearing.  I  can  bring 
about  ideal  conditions  by  feeding  better  than  I  can  counteract  the  conditions 
of  a  heavy  flow.  I  have  had  flows  so  heavy  as  completely  to  cover  up  cells 
with  comb  and  honey,  killing  all  the  queens  I  have ;  also  had  all  the  unsealed 
brood  covered  in  honey  in  a  few  hours,  making  it  impossible  to  get  larvae  of 
the  right  age  to  graft  from ;  besides  the  thousands  of  other  hard  problems  in 
queen-rearing,  I  have  tried  all  of  the  mating-hives  that  have  been  before 
the  public  from  the  smallest  baby  to  the  ten-frame  hive,  and  can  hardly  tell 
what  I  like  best;  but  I  think  I  like  the  Root  twin  baby  the  best;  but  after 
trying  it  more  extensively  I  may  'find  some  serious  objections  to  it. 

All  this  goes  to  show  the  reason  why  so  many  queen-breeders  desert  the 
business.  One  must  have  a  love  for  it,  and  be  made  of  some  tough  material, 
and  not  be  too  anxious  to  get  rich. 

W.  J.  Forehand, 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  ALABAMA. 

Greenville,   Ala. 

Bee-keeping  in  the  South  is  not  carried  on  very  extensively  in  my  sec 

tion,  although  we  have  a  good  country  for  bees,  as  our  winteis  are  very 

mild  as  a  general  thing.    There  are  not  many  days  at  a  time  when  bees  can 

not   fly,   so  the  outlook   for  bee-keeping  is  very  good,   as  our   farmer  bee- 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  133 

keepers  are  adopting  the  latest  styles  of  supplies,  and  doing  away  with  the 
old  box  hive. 

As  to  our  pollen  and  honey  plants,  bees  begin  to  gather  pollen  here 
about  the  first  of  January,  and  it  lasts  about  four  weeks.  Our  next  is  red 
elm  in  February  which  furnishes  abundance  of  pollen.  Maples  are  our 
next.  Maple  begfins  blooming  in  March,  and  furnishes  some  honey  for  two 
weeks ;  and  fruit  bloom  and  blackgum  furnish  a  little  honey.  Then  our  main 
honey-flow  is  from  poplar,  beginning  -about  the  middle  of  April.  It  gives  us 
a  heavy  flow,  and  lasts  from  three  to  four  weeks.  Honey  from  it  is  of  a 
dark-amber  color,  and  of  a  good  quality.  Then  we  have  a  flow  in  June  from 
wahoo  and  rattan,  which  is  of  a  very  fine  grade.  Our  surplus  generally  runs 
from  50  to  100  lbs.  per  colony.  Then  we  have  a  little  all  along  during  the 
summer  and  fall  from  cotton  and  wild  flowers. 

This  is  a  sketch  of  my  locality.  I  will  now  give  the  names  of  some 
Alabama  bee-keepers : 

R.  O.  Cox,  Greenville;  Elix  Whitten,  Greenville;  B.  L.  Perdue,  Green- 
ville; W.  J.  Forehand,  Ft.  Deposit;  Holmes  &  Garret,  Letohatchee;  D.  S. 
Hurst,  Letohatchee;  Brown  &  Knight,  Haneville.  The  last  four  names  are 
located  in  Lowndes  County,  in  the  sweet-clover  reigons.  It  begins  blooming 
in  May,  and  lasts  three  weeks.  The  yield  per  colony  is  from  150  to  20c 
pounds.  They  also  get  some  fine  cotton  honey  in  Lowndes  County  on  the 
prairie  lands.     It  is  very  light  in  color  and  of  excellent  flavor. 

E.  A.   Simmons, 


THE   POSSIBILITIES   OF   BEE-KEEPING   IN   SOUTH    CAROLINA. 

Woffer,  S.  C 
South  Carolina  is  not  famous  as  a  honey-producing  State,  and  we  have 
not  as  large  apiaries  as  some  other  States ;  but  although  modern  bee-keeping 
is  in  its  infancy,  yet  enough  has  been  accomplished  to  show  that  bees,  prop- 
erly managed,  can  be  made  to  give  large  yields  of  splendid  honey;  and  "in 
this  locality  we  usually  are  able  to  get  two  crops — one  in  the  spring,  the 
other  in  the  late  fall.  In  the  lower  half  of  the  State,  where  they  do  not 
have  the  wild  aster,  the  fall  flow  may  not  be  so  heavy;  but  in  that  section 
where  the  gall-berry  abounds  along  with  other  splendid  honey-bearing  flora 
the  crops  of  honey  are  often  heavy.  In  this  locality,  middle-western  South 
Carolina,  we  usually  harvest  crops  of  very  distinct  and  different  grades,  but 
which  have  about  the  same  market  value.  In  the  spring  the  bees  build  up 
rapidly  on  the  elm ;  then  the  maple,  and  then  comes  fruit-bloom,  poplar,  black- 
berry, black  gum,  then  the  persimmon,  from  which  we  get  most  of  our  sur- 
plus. 

THE  FALL   FLOW. 

The  bees  keep  in  strong  condition  during  the  summer  months  on  sour- 
wood  and  field  crops,  such  as  corn,  peas,  melons,  and,  best  of  all,  summer 


134  SOUTHEJ^N   BEE  CULTURE 

plants,  cotton,  which  brings  them  to  the  great  goldenrod  and  wild  asters  from 
which  we  almost  always  secure  a  heavy  crop  about  the  first  of  November 
which  always  granulates  in  a  few  days  or  weeks  after  extracting.  My  honey 
now  in  fruit-jars  looks  almost  like  snow,  and  it  takes  a  very  strong  spoon  to 
get  it  out ;  but  if  one  prefers  it  in  the  syrup  state  it  can  readily  be  heated  to- 
near  the  boiling-point,  which  renders  it  back  to  the  syrup  state,  and,  when 
heated  to  very  near  the  boiling-point  (do  not  boil  it),  it  rarely  granulates 
again. 

WINTERING. 

This  is  not  a  serious  problem  with  us  by  any  means  compared  with  what 
Northern  bee-keepers  have  to  do,  as  the  bees  hardly  ever  fail  to  go  into 
winter  quarters  with  plenty  of  wild-aster  honey  in  the  brood-chamber  ta 
carry  them  through  winter.  In  my  experience  of  some  fifteen  years  of  bee- 
keeping I  have  never  had  to  feed  for  winter  except  the  nuclei.  We  have 
these  in  good  snug  single-wali  hives  with  a  water-proof  cover.  We  leave 
them  on  their  summer  stands — no  chaff  packing  nor  other  protection;  close 
the  entrance  to  J4  by  3  or  4  inches,  and  there  you  are  till  spring  opens ;  then 
throw  the  entrance  wide  open;  put  on  your  super  and  you  are  ready  for 
the  spring  flow.  It  seems  to  me  that,  with  everything  so  favorable,  we 
might  make  bee-keeping  even  more  profitable  than  we  do. 

Well  did  the  poet  write : 

Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air. 

For,  go  where  we  may,  we  can  not  but  see  the  great  lack  of  bees  to 
gather  the  sweetness  that  goes  to  waste  on  the  desert  air.  If  people  only 
knew  the  great  value  of  honey  as  a  food  for  men,  and  would  only  learn 
how  easily  the  little  pets  can  be  handled  and  managed,  we  should  see  hon- 
dreds  of  bee-hives  when  we  now  see  hardly  any  at  all. 

Some  of  the  bee-keepers  in  this  part  of  the  State  are  Mr.  Philip  Mar- 
kert,  near  Augusta,  Ga.,  across  the  river,  who  has,  perhaps,  something  like 
one  hundred  colonies  in  modern  hives,  run,  I  think,  for  comb  honey. 

Mr.  Pierce  Mather,  near  Kirksey,  Greenwood  Co.,  who  has  some  twenty 
colonies  in  Dovetail  hives  run  for  comb  honey. 

Mr.  F.  L.  Timmerman,  who  has  just  begun  modern  bee-keeping  in 
D'anzenbaker   hives. 

Mr.  W.  A.  Cheatham,  at  Troy,  S.  C,  has  about  a  dozen  hives  for  comb 
honey. 

As  for  myself,  I  have  some  80  colonies  in  ten-frame  dovetail  hives,  run 
almost  exclusively  for  extracted  honey.  S.   Chatham. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Catawba,  S.  C 
The  first  recollection  I  have  about  bees  is  when  I  was  five  or  six  years 
old,  in  1865  or  1866.    Father  had  three  or  four  old  box  hives  in  the  back  yard. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  135 

and  for  some  cause  I  began  throwing  stones  at  them ;  but  I  failed  to  get  a 
safe  distance  from  them,  and  the  bees  filled  my  head  full,  stinging  me. 
You  bet  mother  came  out  and  -took  me  to  the  house  and  combed  the  bees 
from  my  hair.  The  next  vivid  recollection  I  have  of  bees  was  in  1874. 
Father  had  eight  or  ten  bee  hives,  one  or  two  of  which  I  claimed  as  mine. 
Some  of  the  colonies  had  become  crammed  and  were  lying  out  at  night  very 
much.  I  was  going  to  school  at  the  time.  The  bees  were  located  at  the  side 
of  what  is  known  in  this  section  of  country  as  a  smoke  or  meat  house.  It 
was  at  one  edge  of  the  apple  orchard,  and  there  was  a  young  apple  tree  near 
the  bees,  with  a  very  thick  foliage  of  leaves.  One  morning  before  I  started 
to  school  I  was  looking  at  the  bees,  and  I  said  to  father,  "I  bet  the  first 
swarm  of  bees  that  comes  off  will  settle  on  that  apple-tree,"  and,  sure 
enough,  a  swarm  came  off  and  settled  on  that  tree,  and  father  made  some 
prophetic  remarks  about  what  I  had  predicted.  I  was  only  13  years  old  then. 
My  father  died  that  fall,  on  the  21st  day  of  September,  1874. 

The  real  beginning  of  my  bee-keeping  was  in  1880,  when  I  adopted 
the  American  frame  12x11.  I  afterwards,  in  1883,  adopted  the  Langstroth 
simplicity  frame  which  I  still  am  using,  and  I  bought  my  first  Italian  queen 
from  Dr.  J.  P.  Brown,  of  Augusta,  Ga.,  getting  her  in  August  of  that  year. 
I  paid  $2.50  for  her.  I  afterward  bought  three  untested  queens  from  him. 
I  bought  an  imported  queen  from  A.  I.  Root  in  1886,  paying  $6.00  for  her. 
I  bought  19  untested  queens  from  W.  S.  Cauthen,  of  Pleasant  Hill,  S.  C, 
in  1886  and  1887,  all  of  which  proved  to  be  good. 

My  best  record  year  was  in  1888,  when  I  secured  2,780  lbs.  from  40 
colonies.    The  best  colony  gave  me  133  lbs.  of  extracted  honey. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  I  took  a  crate  of  section  honey  to  our  County- 
Fair  at  Chester,  S.  C,  and  put  it  on  exhibition.  Some  other  parties  had 
already  placed  theirs,  but  when  I  arrived  mine  was  so  much  superior  to 
.theirs  that  they  removed  theirs  by  the  second  day. 

My  yearly  average  was  about  35  lbs.,  two-thirds  extracted  and  one-third 
comb  honey.  That  was  about  what  I  secured  for  a  ten-year  average.  It 
seems  to  be  somewhat  less  now. 

To  show  the  propensity  of  the  native  bees  to  swarm  more  than  the 
Italians,  in  1888  or  18S9  I  had  25  pure  Italian  and  15  black  and  hybrid 
colonies.  Two  of  the  Italian  colonies  swarmed,  and  thirteen  of  the  fifteen 
black  hybrid  colonies  swarmed;  and  I  think  the  other  two  would  have 
swarmed  if  I  had  not  taken  combs  of  brood  from  them.  Four  thousand 
pounds  of  extracted  is  the  most  honey  I  have  ever  taken  in  one  year.  In 
i8g6  I  secured  that  from  95  colonies. 

I  have  had  two  apiaries  for  the  last  16  years,  one  located  on  Turkey- 
Creek,  Chester  Co.,  at  my  old  home. 

My  home  apiary  is  here  at  Catawba,  York  Co.,  where  I  have  resided  for 
the  last  16  years. 

There  was  some  linden,  or  basswood,  on  Fishing  Creek,  but  only  a  few 
dozen  trees  in  reach  of  the  bees — ^just  enough  to  create  a  little  excitement 
among  the  bees  when  it  was  in  bloom;  but  the  bees  would  lick  it  up  in  20 


136  SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE 

or  30  minutes  every  morning.    The  basswood   usually  bloomed  from  June 
20  to  30.    There  may  be  a  few  trees  of  it  there  yet. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  my  bee-keeping  I  usually  secured  half  of  my 
crop  from  the  poplar  bloom ;  but  of  late  years  it  has  been  cut  down,,  and  the 
honey-flow  is  light  from  it.  The  aster  is  our  best  yielder,  poplar  second 
best;  cotton  third,  cowpeas  fourth,  persimmon  fifth.  The  cotton  bloom  is  a 
good  yielder  some  seasons,  but  only  when  the  cotton  has  gotten  a  good  start 
in  blooming,  and  then  cut  short  by  a  dry  spell. 

The  best  record  from  one  hive  in  one  day  was  in  1888,  when  I  had  a 
good  colony  on  scales  during  aster  bloom.  It  pulled  down  11  lbs.  in  one 
day;  but  the  scales  stood  only  gYi  lbs.  by  the  next  morning.  The  bees  had 
evaporated  i^  lbs.  during  the  night.  That  hive  gained  55  lbs.  during  the 
20  days  when  the  aster  was  in  bloom;  but  I  have  had  colonies  beat  that 
twenty-day  record  on  aster. 

The  year  1905  was  nearly  a  failure.  I  secured  only  1,000  lbs.  from  160 
colonies;  and  the  season  qI  1906  was  a  complete  failure,  I  not  securing  any 
honey  at  all,  and  I  lost  one-third  of  my  bees  by  starving,  although  I  fed 
1,000  lbs.  of  granulated  sugar.  I  now  regret  that  I  did  not  feed  more 
liberally,  as  my  bees  have  given  2,600  lbs.  of  honey  since  August  of  this  year, 
and  are  heavier  in  winter  stores  than  I  have  had  in  a  long  time. 

About  equal  parts  were  secured  from  cotton  and  aster.  I  have  about 
100  colonies  now.  I  have  been  doing  a  local  trade  in  bee-keepers'  supplies 
for  a  number  of  years.  I  make  the  half-joint  hive  the  same  size  as  the 
eight-frame  dovetail,  hive.  I  also  keep  the  A.  I.  Root  Go's  goods  for  sale. 
the  trade  was  light  the  last  season,  on  account  of  the  honey  crop  being  a 
failure.  I  think  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  bees  in  this  section  have  starved 
the  last  two  years. 

I  have  always  found  a  good  demand  for  my  honey  in  Rock  Hill,  S.  C;, 
a  city  of  six  or  eight  thousand  inhabitants.  I  am  getting  lo  cents  per  lb. 
for  all  my  honey  at  wholesale.  I  sell  most  of  my  honey  in  two  or  three 
pound  buckets,  labeled  nicely.  I  usually  sell  it  to  two  or  three  grocery  stores 
there,  and  sell  it  straight  out. 

Capt.  J.  C.  Foster,  of  Lancaster,  S.  C,  has  had  some  success  with  bees ; 
also  W.  B.  Crosby,  Esq.,  Catawba.  There  have  been  numbers  of  men  who 
have  started  bee-keeping  since  I  did,  but  they  have  fallen  out  of  the  ranks 
for  one  reason  or  another.  Most  people  who  keep  bees  don't  know  when  a 
honey-flow  is  on  until  it  is  over.  I  always  practice  clipping  my  queens'  wings 
to  control  swarming.  I  have  hunted  up  and  found  2>2  queens  in  3J^  hours  in 
strong  average  colonies.  I  have  only  the  three-banded  Italians  and  some 
good  honey-gathering  hybrids.  I  ordered  some  five-banded  bees  some 
years  ago,  but  I  have  never  seen  a  five-banded  bee  yet,  and  I  got  them  from 
a  native  breeder.  The  ones  that  I  did  get  would  come  at  me  like  bullets 
from  a  gun. 

I  think  the  three-banded  Italian  bees  are  about  the  best  yet.  I  never 
use  any  protection  when  among  the  bees,  except  a  good  smoker  and  a  light- 
colored  suit  of  clothes  and  a  straw  hat.     I  hardly  ever  get  stung. 

H.  C.  Simpson, 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  137 

NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Crouse,  N.  C. 

The  general  outlook  for  bee-keeping  in  this  section  of  the  South  is 
good,  and,  if  it  is  properly  followed,  profitable.  Our  honey  is  of  a  good 
quality,  and  brings  a  good  price  The  average  from  old-style  box  hives  is 
from  IS  to  25,  lbs.,  and  such  honey  sells  at  10  and  12  cents  per  pound.  The 
average  from  patent  hives  is  from  25  to  30  lbs.,  and  sells  at  15  to  18  cents. 

Honey-plants  in  this  location  are  not  very  plentiful.  The  most  common 
ones  are  poplar,  persimmon,  sourwood,  sumac,  melons,  ironweed,  cotton,  and 
some  buckv^rheat ;  but  it  is  not  extensively  planted  here. 

Below  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  most  successful  bee-keepers  in  my  section  r 

W.  H.  Hoover,  G.  Anthony,  A.  H.  Black,  J.  H.  Hearner,  F.  E.  Carpen- 
ter, J.  Hacve,  Rev.  M.  Carpenter,  Mrs.  Lee  Brown,  T.  Lackey,  H.  S.  Sellers^ 
B.  Black,  M.  Stroup,  A.  Tasour,  C.  Rhine,  Wlm.  Bullinger. 

We  are  located  southeast  of  the  South  Mountains,  which  lie  in  Burk  Co. 
Hard  wood  is  plentiful,  and  sometimes  we  have  lots  of  honey-dew  and  pollen 
from  the  hard-wood  trees. 

We  have  a  heavy  loss  of  bees  each  season  in  old  box  hives,  and  we 
must  adopt  patent  hives  to  expect  a  great  success  in  bee-keeping". 

C.  C.  Ramsey. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  NORTH  GEORGIA. 

Jasper,  Ga. 
Bee  culture  in  North  Georgia  is  carried  on  in  a  very  limited  way.  There 
are  a  good  many  bees  scattered  about  the  country.  King  bees  and  log  gums, 
or  square  plank  gums,  reign  supreme  with  but  few  exceptions.  The  number 
of  colonies  kept  in  hollow  logs'  or  gums  ranges  from  one  to  fifty.  Very  few 
keep  fifty.  The  bees  are  blacks,  mostly.  Some  are  hybrids,  or  crosses  with 
Italian  stock.  There  are  a  few  bee-keepers  who  have  Italian  stock  who  have 
their  bees  in  up-to-date  hives,  and  modern  methods  are  used  in  the  manage- 
ment of  their  bees.  With  these  few  exceptions  the  bees  keep  themselves  and 
work  for  nothing  and  board  themselves,  and  are  regarded  as  a  kind  of  mys- 
terious insect  ruled  by  a  "king;"  and  there  is  a  prevailing  idea  with  some, 
that,  when  their  owner  or  master  dies,  the  bees  will  soon  die  out ;  and  there 
is  another  idea  among  some  of  the  bee-keepers  that  bees  must  be  robbed  or 
their  honey  must  be  taken  at  certain  stages  of  the  moon,  and  unless  this 
rule  is  observed  the  bees  will  not  do  any  more  good  after  being  robbed.  Im- 
proved hives  and  methods  are  not  known  to  many,  and  are  considered  a 
nuisance.  It  is  not  for  the  lack  of  pasturage  for  the  bees  that  keeps  the 
people  from  engaging  in  bee  culture  in  a  commercial  way  or  as  a  business. 
It  is  for  the  lack  of  knowledge.  Superstition  and  ignorance  are  in  the  way  of 
many.  All  the  well-to-do  farmers,  or  most  of  them,  have  their  dozen  or  so 
of  log  or  box  gums.     There  is  more  money  to  be  made  with  bees  in  this 


138  SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

section,  according  to  the  capital  invested,  than  any  other  pursuit.  A  colony 
of  bees  will  pay  for  themselves  in  one  season  if  the  conditions  are  reasonably 
favorable.  Frame  hives  with  good  Italian  stock  in  the  hands  of  an  apiarist 
who  looks  after  his  bees,  average  50  lbs.  in  ordinary  good  seasons.  In  the 
best  or  most  favorable  seasons,  100  lbs.  is  the  average.  In  poor  seasons,  30 
lbs.  is  a  good  average.  In  1905  we  had  a  total  failure  so  far  as  surplus  honey 
was  concerned.  In  1906  there  was  a  surplus  of  about  30  lbs.;  in  1907  the 
average  was  about  50  lbs.  Some  colonies  gave  100  lbs.  of  surplus.  These 
figures  do  not  apply  to  log  or  box  gums.  The  average  for  them  is  from 
15  to  20  lbs.  of  surplus.  Any  locality  where  bees  do  well  in  log  gums  is  a 
good   location   for   the  modern  bee-keeper   with   his    movable-frame   hives. 

The  honey-flow  is  slow  in  this  part  of  the  State.  There  are  no  heavy 
flows  all  at  once.  The  flow  lasts  according  to  the  duration  of  blooms.  If 
weather  conditions  are  favorable  for  the  secretion  of  nectar,  and  for  the  bees 
to  get  out  and  gather  it,  in  our  locality  the  first  honey  and  pollen  come  from 
maple  and  tag-alder  anywhere  from  the  first  of  February  to  the  first  of 
March.  It  all  depends  on  the  weather  conditions.  The  next  honey  and 
pollen  come  from  huckleberry  and  fruit-bloom  the  last  of  April  and  first 
of  May.  Our  next  is  from  poplar  and  blackberry  the  middle  of  May,  or 
about  that  time,  sometimes  earlier  and  sometimes  later.  Our  next  is  from 
what  is  called  warweed,  the  last  of  May  to  the  middle  of  June.  The  next 
honey  and  pollen  are  from  sumac,  from  August  i  to  September  i ;  also  cot- 
ton and  persimmons  furnish  considerable  honey  at  this  time,  and  cowpeas. 
Some  seasons  furnish  some  honey  until  the  last  of  September. 

Bees  swarm  some  during  this  time  of  the  season,  and  this  is  the  part  of 
the  season  for  rearing  the  best  queens,  and  is  the  best  time  to  requeen  or 
supersede  old  queens.  October  brings  our  last  flow  of  honey.  It  is  from  aster, 
and  there  are  such  quantities  of  bloom  that  bees  almost  always  store  a  suffi- 
ciency to  winter  on,  and  for  rearing  brood  in  early  spring.  Honey  from 
huckleberry  and  sourwood  is  white,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  honey  we  get 
is  amber  colored,  cotton  being  the  lightest. 

This  is  a  mountainous  country,  abounding  in  springs  of  clear  soft  water. 
The  streams  or  water-courses  have  more  or  less  rich  bottom  lands,  a  very 
healthy  country  for  bees  or  man;  a  mild  climate.  We  rarely  have  any  zero 
weather.  There  is  no  disease  among  the  bees  of  this  section.  Black  or  foul 
brood  is  unknown  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Bee-moths  and  robbers  are 
the  worst  enemies  the  bees  have  in  this  section.  The  bee-robber,  or  the  fellow 
with  his  bees  in  sections  or  hollow  logs,  arms  himself  with  a  roll  of  rags, 
ties  up  his  head,  hands,  and  pants  legs,  proceeds  after  dark  to  knock  off  the 
heads  or  tops  of  the  gums,  and  blows  smoke  into  the  top  end  of  the  gum 
until  he  gets  most  of  the  bees  down,  and  his  eyes  almost  smoked  out,  and  cuts 
out  the  honey  and  sometimes  brood,  sometimes  drowning  all  the  bees,  or 
a  part  of  them.  Very  often  the  queen  or  "king,"  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
is  drowned ;  and  in  many  cases  the  bees  if  they  are  not  drowned  are  so  dis- 
couraged with  the  operation  that  they  let  the  wax-moth  get  in  its  work  of 
egg-laying  and  then  there  is  a  fine  crop  of  moth  larvae  produced,  which  will 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  139 

eat  up  the  combs,  the  colony  is  destroyed,  and  all  the  blame  is  laid  on  the 

worms,  while  it  is  the  bee-keeper  or  bee-robber  that  is  to  blame. 

Another  drawback  to  the  log  gum  is  the  excessive  swarming.  The  gums, 
as  a  rule,  are  too  small.  Black  bees  and  some  strains  of  Italians  will  swarm 
themselves  to  death  when  the  swarming  fever  strikes  them  if  crowded  into 
small  hives.  Large  hives  will  prevent  swarming  to  a  great  extent — so  much 
so  it  is  not  worth  while  to  bother  looking  after  swarms.  Our  golden  stock 
seldom  swarms.  Some  of  our  colonies  have  never  attempted  to  swarm, 
even  when  they  superseded  their  old  queens.  They  are  the  nearest  to  a  non- 
swarming  strain  we  ever  saw. 

This  section  is  improving  in  the  supply  of  nectar  under  stock  law,  as 
there  are  more  honey-bearing  weeds  and  shrubs  that  are  not  destroyed 
by  stock  than  there  formerly  were  while  fencing  the  crops  was  in  vogue. 
While  this  section  does  not  produce  as  heavy  flows  as  some  parts  of  the 
country,  the  honey  is  as  good  and  fine  as  the  best,  except  red  shank  and 
aster.  The  flavor  of  these  two  honeys  is  not  liked  by  many.  Especially  is 
this  the  case  with  the  red  shank.  The  sourwood  produces  the  mildest 
honey  with  the  most  pleasant  flavor  known.  Poplar,  sumac,  and  huckleberry 
produce  a  fine-flavored  honey  with  a  good  body.  There  is  room  for  lots  of 
good  bee-keepers,  and  any  progressive  bee-keeper  who  will  give  his  time 
and  talent  to  bee  culture  in  many  sections  of  North  Georgia  will  be  amply 
rewarded,  not  only  in  dollars  and  cents,  but  in  health  and  pleasure,  the  best 
of  water,  and  a  fine  climate.  The  demand. for  both  comb  and  extracted  is 
good.  There  are  fine  openings  for  outyards,  and  a  nice  healthly  business 
can  be  enjoyed  among  these  hills  and  mountains.  Thousands  of  tons  of  the 
finest  honey  is  wasted  for  the  want  of  bees  and  a  bee-keeper  to  take  care  of  it 
or  gather  it.  There  is  a  demand  for  all  the  honey  that  will  ever  be  pro- 
duced whenever  the  cost  of  production  is  reduced  so  as  to  put  it  in  the 
list  of  the  necessities  of  life,'  at  a  price  so  that  the  common  class  with 
small  means  can  aflFord  to  buy  it  and  use  it  as  they  do  sugar  and  butter.  It  is 
the  most  healthful  sweet  there  is.  It  is  better  for  the  children  of  our  land 
than  su^ar  or  syrup,  or  candy  made  from  sugar  of  any  kind.  Honey  is  good 
for  the  old  folks  as  well  as  the  young  ones. 

Bees  are  wintered  on  their  summer  stands  without  any  packing  of  any 
kind.  All  that  is  needed  is  plenty  of  bees,  25  or  30  lbs.  of  honey,  and  a 
hive  that  will  keep  the  rain  and  snow  out. 

T.  S.  Hall, 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  SOUTH  GEORGIA. 

The  most  of  South  Georgia  is  a  newly  developed  section.  Only  a  few 
years  ago  it  was  a  dense  pine  forest  which  has  made  thousands  of  turpentine 
and  sawmill  men  rich  as  well  as  railroad  companies.  While  it  was  being 
lumbered  the  agricultural  industry  took  a  rise  and  it  has  made  great  progress; 


140  SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 

but  there  is  great  room  yet,  and  much  fertile  land  to  be  developed.  Natu- 
rally, apiculture  is  in  its  infancy  here,  but  it  is  making  great  progress,  and 
•soon  we  shall  have  a  long  list  of  extensive  bee-keepers. 

To  the  prospective  bee-keeper  South  Georgia  presents  a  poor  appearance, 
ior  somehow  they  have  been  wrongly  informed,  and  are  looking  for  dense 
swamps,  along  large  streams.  Hundreds  of  letters  of  inquiry  have  come 
to  my  desk  asking  about  the  Okefenoke  Swamp  in  the  lower  edge  of  South 
Georgia,  as  a  bee  pasture.  It  is  a  poor  one,  of  course,  and  other  dense 
swamps  are  no  better.  South  Georgia  is  well  watered,  and  contains  much 
waste  land  not  in  or  near  dense  swamps  and  here  we  find  our  best  bee-pas- 
ture along  creeks  and  their  sources.  What  will  be  found  in  such  locations 
in  the  way  of  honey-plants  will  be  about  as  follows.  In  January,  alder,  our 
first  pollen-plant,  will  begin  to  bloom.  About  the  first  of  February  maple  will 
begin  to  bloom,  which  is  plentiful,  and  great  pollen-plant.  It  yields  some 
nectar  if  the  weather  is  warm  during  the  height  of  its  blooming,  and  great 
progress  is  made  in  the  brood-nests.  It  continues  to  bloom  until  wild  plum, 
redbud,  May  haw,  and  fruit-trees  around  farm  houses  begin  to  bloom. 
Then  cypress,  beech,  and  sweet  gum  continue  the  supply  of  pollen  and  a 
little  nectar  until  about  the  first  of  April.  By  this  time  all  colonies  that  have 
received  the  proper  attention  are  boiling  over  with  bees,  and  in  the  best 
possible  condition  for  the  first  honey-flow,  which  now  begins  from  tupelo  gum, 
which  is  plentiful  in  the  beds  of  the  creeks  and  branches  as  well  as  along 
the  banks,  and  scattered  through  the  narrow  swamps.  This  flow  is  followed 
by  another  one,  about  the  loth  of  April,  from  poplar  which  is  plentiful  all 
over  waste  or  low  lands ;  also  holly  and  black  gum,  which  begin  to  bloom, 
and  the  heavy  flow  is  continued  on  from  these  sources  until  the  5th  or  loth 
of  May.  when  the  gallberry,  which  covers  the  forest  from  three  to  five  feet 
deep,  unbosoms  mother  Elarth  of  her  much  desired  treasure,  nectar,  and  con- 
tinues the  flow  on  until  about  June  i.  Then  the  ti-ti,  which  is  in  abundance 
along  creeks,  branches,  and  low  wet  land,  begins  to  bloom,  and  continues 
the  flow  on  for  forty  or  fifty  days.  During  this  time  the  farmers  have 
thousands  of  acres  of  the  fleecy  staple,  cotton,  in  reach  of  our  bees,  growing 
and  flourishing,  and  about  the  loth  of  July  it  has  bloomed  enough  for  the 
"bees  to  leave  the  ti-ti  and  take  to  the  cotton-fields,  which  extend  the  flow  on 
to  frost. 

South  Georgia  honey  is  nearly  all  light  in  color,  and  has  a  good  body 
and  flavor.  But  honey  from  the  cotton-plant  turns  to  sugar  the  first  cold 
spell,   if  it  is  extracted,  but  will  remain  liquid  if  seakd  in  the  comb. 

Our  annual  average  per  colony  is  between  40  and  100  pounds.  The  flow 
from  cotton  is  long  and  sure ;  and  bees  winter  on  cotton  honey,  and  but  little 
if  any  feeding  is  ever  required.  The  Author. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  FLORIDA. 

Ft.  White,  Fla. 
As  I  begin  to  write  I  would  rather  give  this  another  headline  and  say 


SOUTHERN  BEE  CULTURE  141 

what  is  being  done  in  bee-keeping;  but  as  there  is  very  little  doing  I  feel 
compelled  to  give  a  truthful  statement. 

I  commenced  to  keep  bees  eight  years  ago  last  May,  and  to-day  I  own 
350  colonies.  I  am  making  more  profit  out  of  my  bees  than  any  other  man  I 
know  of  on  their  fleecy  staple,  cotton.  I  averaged  this  year  (which  has  'been 
a  little  better  than  the  average)  85  sections  to  the  colony  of  comb  honey. 
We  have  here  a  lot  of  different  plants  that  yield  honey  and  pollen  in  the 
early  spring.  About  the  first  thing  the  bees  go  to  is  the  hammocks,  and  find 
a  lot  of  early  bloom  the  names  of  which  I  am  unable  to  give.  This  gives 
them  a  start,  and  stimulates  brood-raising.  Then  comes  fruit-bloom,  such  as 
peaches,  pears,  plums,  etc  On  this  they  begin  to  swarm,  which  is  about 
the  first  or  second  week  in  March,  and  we  generally  have  swarming  for  about 
six  weeks;  but  we  never  have  a  rush  of  swarms,  or,  as  some  term  it,  the 
swarming  fever. 

About  the  first  of  May  the  chinquepin  commences  to  bloom,  and  then 
you  see  the  bees  begin  to  rush ;  and  they  will  put  a  good  feeling  on  their 
keeper,  for  he  knows  there  is  going  to  be  a  lot  of  brood  raised,  and  the 
hives  all  filled,  and  all  his  new  swarms  are  going  to  get  ready  for  the  good 
honey-flow  as  I  term  it.  The  chinquepin  yields  both  honey  and  pollen,  and 
it  is  gotten  from  the  bloom  entirely.  The  honey  has  a  peculiar  smell,  a 
bitter-sweet  taste,  and  has  a  reddish  color.  I  have  found  but  few  people 
who  like  it.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  we  have  some  gallberry  that  yields 
honey  about  the  same  time  the  chinquepin  does;  and  where  the  gallberry 
grows  we  have  no  chinquepin.  The  gallberry  is  found  in  flat  woods,  and  the 
chinquepin  on  the  hilly  woods  of  this  country.  Chinquepin  generally  gives  us 
some  surplus  from  a  few  pounds  to  as  much  as  50  lbs.  to  the  colony  of  comb 
honey.  I  do  not  know  what  it  would  do  for  extracted,  as  I  run  only  for  comb. 
The  only  extracting  I  do  is  to  extract  this  chinquepin  honey  from  the  sec- 
tions and  let  the  bees  refill  the  combs  with  good  honey. 

Now  we  come  up  to  the  good  honey-flow,  which  begins  about  June  15, 
or  about  ten  days  after  chinquepin  bloom  is  over.  Sometimes  the  bloom  of 
the  chinquepin  about  meets  or  comes  up  to  the  good  honey-flow,  which  is 
gathered  from  the  partridge-pea  weed,  and  then  we  have  another  good  feel- 
ing brought  over  us,  as  we  know  we  are  going  to  get  something  for  our 
labor.  The  bees  gather  honey  from  the  stem,  buds,  and  bloom  of  the  par- 
tridge-peas, and  it  is  a  steady  flow  from  about  June  15  to  Sept  15,  and  some- 
times as  late  as  Oct.  i,.  and  this  is  our  main  stake ;  and  without  them  we 
could  hardly  make  much  profit  on  bees,  although  we  get  some  honey  from 
cotton  and  field-peas,  which  are  both  grown  here  to  some  extent,  but  not 
enough  to  make  any  show  in  our  honey  crop,  as  it  comes  along  with  the 
partridge-peas,  and  we  never  see  the  effects  on  the  honey,  as  the  partridge- 
peas  predominate  over  everything  else.  The  woods  are  a  perfect  yellow  sheet 
when  they  are  in  full  bloom,  and  they  grow  in  the  field  after  the  oats  are  cut 
off,  in  fence-corners,  and  almost  everywhere. 

There  is  one  thing  I  have  not  mentioned,  and  I  will  give  it  here.  It  is 
the  blackberry,  which  blooms  ahead  of  the  chinquepin ;  but  we  never  get  any 


142  SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 

surplus  from  it.     It  is  generally  used  up  in  brood-rearing  and  refilling  the 
combs  in  the  beginning  of  spring. 

The  last  of  September  and  first  of  October  we  have  a  bloom  here  that  1 
do  not  know  the  name  of.  It  is  a  weed  and  grows  about  i8  inches  high; 
has  a  white  blossom  on  top  and  yields  some  honey.  I  have  heard  them  called 
summer  farewells,  as  they  bloom  at  the  very  last  of  summer.  The  honey  that 
we  get  from  this  has  a  peculiar  flavor,  something  like  fresh  turpentine,  and  it 
is  as  white  as  snow.  The  honey  we  get  from  the  partridge-peas  is  very  fine  in 
color  and  flavor.  When  the  bloom  first  opens  we  sometimes  get  a  pale-yellow 
honey,  and  I  think  it  is  fine — so  rich  and  sweet.  The  first  and  last  of  the 
partridge-pea  honey  is  very  white. 

We  have  no  bee-keepers  in  this  country  to  speak  of.  I  suppose  I  have 
more  than  the  rest  of  the  country.  Mr.  J.  M.  Hall,  six  miles  east  of  me,  has 
some  forty  colonies  and  he  is  making  a  very  good  success  on  a  small  scale, 
and  will  increase  his  stock  from  time  to  time,  as  he  has  a  pretty  good  case  of 
bee  fever.  Mr.  Crawford  Truluck,  two  miles  southwest,  has  sixteen  colonies 
which  have  been  paying  him  finely  for  the  little  trouble  he  has  given  them. 
He  is  employed  in  the  phosphate-mining  business,  and  does  not  take  much 
time  with  the  bees ;  and  what  bees  he  has  are  the  common  blacks. 

Mr.  Wm.  Kinard,  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast,  has  sorne  thirty  or  forty 
colonies  in  both  improved  and  old  box  hives,  which  are  paying  him  finely  for 
the  expense  he  is  at  with  them,  and  these  men  cover  almost  all  the  bee-men 
who  have  improved  hives.  Some  few  others  have  from  two  to  six  in  the 
improved  hives. 

There  is  a  Mr.  Bates  in  Lake  City,  our  county-seat,  who  has  several 
colonies  in  improved  hives,  and  has  Carniolan  bees,  I  think.  I  have  not  seen 
bim  to  talk  with  him  for  over  a  year. 

There  are  a  few  bees  scattered  about  in  old  box  hives  or  gums,  but  they 
get  very  little  attention.  What  we  lack  here  is  men  who  will  get  out  of  the 
cotton-field  and  give  bee-keeping  a  little  study,  and  take  on  a  little  courage. 
We  could  raise  honey,  not  by  the  hundred  pounds  in  Columbia  Co.,  but  by 
the  carload. 

There  is  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  honey  going  'to  waste  for  the 
want  of  experienced  bee-men,  or  men  who  will  learn  the'  business  and  put 
bees  on  the  ranges  to  harvest  the  sweets. 

I  agree  with  our  experienced  bee-men,  that  we  can  get  a  race  of  bees 
and  improve  our  stock  of  bees  to  where  we  could  accomplish  wonders  here 
and  in  adjoining  counties  in  the  amount  of  honey  that  could  be  gathered  and 
put  to  a  profit  on  the  right  side.  Our  county  needs  it,  and  should  have  it; 
and  I  hope  to  see  the  time  when  we  may  have  the  needed  men  for  the  busi- 
ness, and  when  the  honey  that  to-day  is  going  to  waste  may  be  gathered  and 
put  on  the  market  where  families  can  get  it,  as  I  am  satisfied  it  is  the  most 
healthful  sweet  we  have. 

R.   W.    HiRHENY. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE  143 

BEE-KEEPING  IN  WESTERN   FLORIDA. 

Vidalia,  Ga. 

Bee-keeping  in  Western  Florida  has  been  one  of  the  principal  industries 
in,  seme  districts,  and  along  the  Apalachicola  and  Chipola  Rivers  there  are 
still  a  good  many  large  apiaries;  and  the  number  of  colonies  one  place  will 
provide  rajige  for  is  equaled  by  very  few  places  in  the  United  States.  There 
are  several  apiaries  in  this  territory,  of  upward  of  500  colonies,  all  placed 
on  less  than  an  acre  of  land. 

The  season  in  Western  Florida  commences  by  the  bees  starting  to  build 
up  with  the  blooms  of  the  maple  in  February,  and  once  in  many  years  this 
source  will  allow  the  bees  to  accumulate  a  little  surplus.  The  next  thing  of 
interest  to  come  into  bloom  is  the  ti-ti,  which  is  generally  pretty  well  open  by 
the  first  day  of  March,  and  the  opening  of  this  bloom  will  often  bring  swarms 
which  have  been  known  to  cover  the  last  days  of  February.  Ti-ti  is  generally 
followed  by  the  black  tupelo  gum.  Why  it  is  called  "black  tupelo"  is  a  mys- 
tery to  the  writer  of  this,  for  the  only  diflference  to  be  seen  is  in  the  color 
of  the  leaves,  which  are  a  shade  darker  green  than  those  of  the  white 
tupelo,  which  blooms  a  month  later.  The  weather  is  often  so  cold  and  back- 
ward that  the  bees  succeed  in  getting  but  a  scant  living  from  the  ti-ti  and 
black  tupelo;  but  when  the  white  tupelo  commences  to  bloom,  about  April 
IS,  if  the  weather  is  settled  warm  the  bees  become  suddenly  alive;  for  with 
a  good  full  bloom  and  favorable  weather  this  is  one  of  the  fastest  yielders  of 
honey  known ;  and  extracting-hives  have  been  filled  up  in  three  days  or  less, 
and  most  of  it  capped  over ;  but  the  apiarist  has  to  move  in  a  hurry,  for  his 
living  for  a  year  depends  on  a  few  days  of  good  weather  and  his  ability  to 
take  care  of  a  crop  of  honey  in  ten  days'  time — occasionally  a  little  more  and 
sometimes  less.  If  it  should  last  two  weeks  in  full  bloom  it  means  a  fine 
crop;  but  if  there  should  be  a  rainy  spell  jnst  at  the  opening  of  white  tupelo 
it  means  that  the  apiarist  will  have  to  bear  many  disappointments  and  wait 
for  another  year  to  roll  around. 

After  the  tupelo  is  through,  which  is  generally  by  May  i,  there  is  nothing 
to  amount  to  anything ;  but  about  once  in  five  years  there  is  a  late  flow  from 
an  almost  unaccountable  source.  As  a  general  thing,  about  June  i,  bees 
•commence  to  weaken  down,  and  by  September  i  the  strong  colonies  on  tupelo 
are  reduced  to  mere  handfuls ;  but  at  this  point,  as  if  to  save  themselves  from 
destruction,  they  commence  to  build  up,  and  by  November  i,  have  bees 
•enough  to  go  through  the  winter  months. 

Nearly  every  one  in  this  section  uses  the  standard  Langstroth  hive,  or 
frames,  rather,  and  the  bulk  of  the  bees  are  Italian. 

The  worst  enemy  of  bees  here  are  the  mosquito-hawks,  which,  during  the 
rainy  season,  July  and  August,  become  very  numerous — seemingly  as  many 
of  them  as  there  are  bees;  but  they  disappear  about  September  i  and  so 
give  the  bees  a  breathing-spell. 

R.  L.  Tucker. 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 


I  Can   Supply-  Yoti  MritK    Modern 

Bee-Hives,  Honey-Extractors, 

Wax-Extractors,  Bee-Smokers, 

Bee- Veils,  Bee-Gloves,  Foundation, 
Foundation-Fasteners,  Sections, 
Section  Presses  and  Fasteners, 

and  everything  used  in  up- 
to-date  Bee-keeping.     Also 

Full  Colonies  of  Italian  and 

Caucasian  Bees;  and  Nuclei 

and  Queens  of  either  Variety. 

If  you  have  a  poor  bee-pasture 
give    me    an    order"   for   some 

Gallberry  Seed,  the  South's  Surest 

and  Greatest  Honey -Plant. 

It  multiplies  fast  and  is  a  great 
bloomer  when  two  years  old. 

iSend  for  Prices  and  Particulars 


J.  J.  Wilder, 

Cordele,  ^  Georgia 


SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 


WITH  THE- 


Bee -Keepers'  Review 

by  sending  ten  cents  for  three 
late  but  different  issues,  and  the 
ten  cents  may, apply  on  any  sub- 
scription sent  in  within  a  year. 


W.  Z.  Hutchinson  ^  Flint,  Mich. 


THE  LOUIS  H.  SCHOLL  APIARIES 


PRODUCERS    OF    AND    DEALERS    IN 


Comb  and  Extracted 
Honey,  and  Beeswax 


FOURTEEN    APIARIES 

Comal,   Bulverde,  Hunter,  Yorks  Creek,  Zom,  Staples,  Santa  Clara,  Solms. 
Bracken,  Schertz,  Cibolo,  Marion,  Fountain,  Bottoms. 

We  shall   try  to  keep  both  Comb  and    Extracted   Honey,  also 
Beeswax,  on  hand  the  whole  season,  and  Solicit  your  Orders. 

NEW  BRAUNFELS,  TEXAS 


SOUTHERN    BEE   CULTURE 


BEE-SUPPLIES 

FOR  SOUTHERN 
BEE-KEEPERS 


I  HAVE  been  over  20  years  in  the 
Bee-supply  business,  manufactur- 
ing hives  and  fixtures,  and  rais- 
ing bees  and  queens.  With  all  this 
experience  and  the  excellent  facilities 
I  have,  I  am  able  to  fill  your  orders 
promptly,  and  give  absolute  satisfac- 
tion. Though  I  make  my  own  hives 
I  carry  a  complete  stock  of  The  A. 
L  Root  Company's  manufacture. 
Just  specify  "Root's  Goods"  and 
you  will  get  them. 

Bees  and  Queens 

I  breed  with  scientific,  intelligent 
methods,  from  the  best  Imported 
and  Long  -  tongued  stock.  Cheap 
queens  can  be  had  elsewhere.  My 
stock  is  worth  every  cent  of  the 
price.  You  will  be  pleased  with  it. 
I  GUARANTEE  IT. 

64-Page  Catalog 

of  Supplies  and  Bees  sent  free. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 

Queens  =  Italian  =  Queens 

and  Bees  from  Root's  Red-clover  stock  and 

Golden   Italian  Queens.     Better  than  ever 

Selected  Untested  -  -  $  .75  each,  six,  $4  00 

Tested  -  -  -  1.00       "        "       5.00 

Select  Tested      -  -  -  1.25 

Two-frame  Nuclei  with  Untested  Queen  -  2.00 

Orders  filled  in  rotation.  Send  orders  to 

£.  A.  SIMMONS.  -  Greenville,  Ala. 


The  Highest  Quality  of  Bee-Supplies 

Prompt  Shipments  and  Low  Prices.  All  Styles  of  Hives, 
Frames,  Sections,  Extractors,  etc.  Illustrated  Catalogue 
and  Price  List  FREE,  also  copy  of  the  American  Bee- 
Keeper,  a  36-page  Monthly,  50  cents  a  year.      '^  ^ 

W.  T.  FALCONER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  Jamestown,  N.  Y. 


I  Make  a  Specialty  of  Producing 

FANCY 
TABLE  HONEY 

And  I  Solicit  Your  Orders 

W.  J.  DAWSON,  Benton,  La. 

A  Full  Line  of  Bee-keepers'  Supplies;  also  Italian  Bees  and  Queens,  and 

Honey  a  Specialty 

Write    for   Catalog   and   Particulars.     Choice  melilotus,  (White  Sweet 
Clover)  Seed  for  sale  at  8  cents  per  pound. 

W.  p.  SMITH,  ^  Penn,  Miss. 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 

QUEENS 

Of  the  best  3-Banded  Italian  stock,  reared 
by  the  best  methods  and  fully   warranted. 

One  Untested,  75c;  six,  $4.00;  doz.,  $7.50 
One  Tested,  $1.25;   "       7.00;     "    $12.00 

W.  T.  CRAWFORD,  -  Hineston,  La. 


Italian  Queens 


Bred  for  Honey  -  gathering  by  the  best-known 
methods;  Golden  and  Three-Banded  stock;  mated 
in  separate  yards.  -:-  -:-  -:- 

Tested/.$1.00  each;  Untested,  65  cents  each;  $6.50  per  dozen. 

W.  J.  Forehand,  Fort  Deposit,  Ala. 


For  Sale.  .  . 


Honey-bearing  Forest  Trees;  Wax,  Honey,  Land. 

Land  is  very  fertile,  being  located  in  the  famous  cotton  section 
of  the  Yazoo  delta.  -:-  -:-  -:- 

Tho.  Worthington,  Leota,  Miss. 


Georgia  Queens 

Of  superior  Golden  and  Leather  -  Colored 
Italian  stock;  reared  by  the  best  method 
known,  in  fuU  colonies.  -:- 

Write  for  Prices  and  List 

T.  S.  HALL,  -  Jasper,  Pickens  Co.,  Ga. 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 


OLDEST  BEE  PAPER    IN  AMERICA 

AMERICAN 

BEE  JOURNAL 

ESTABLISHED      IN     1861 

Those  who  write  for  it  are  among  the  most  extensive  and  best  J)ee- 

keepers  in  the  world.     Many  of  them  produce  honey 

by  the  ton,  and  make  money  at  the  business, 

hence  their  experiences  are  valuable. 

The  American  Bee  Journal 

has  the  following;  departments,  each 
of  which  shows  its  nature  by  its  name: 

Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 

Miscellaneous  News  Items 

Contributed  Articles 

Convention  Proceedings 

Our  Bee-Keeping  Sisters 

Beedom  Boiled  Down 

Dr.  Miller's  Question-Box 

Southern  Beedom 

Canadian  Beedom 

Reports  and  Experiences 

Honey  and  Beeswax  Market  Quotations 

Every  bee-keeper,  whether  he  or  she  has  one  colony  or  a  hundi'ed. 

should  read  the  old  American  Bee  Journal  every  month. 

Only  50  cents  a  year;  or  20  cents  for  a  trial  trip 

of  six  months  to  a  new  subscriber. 

Sample  Copy  Free.    Ask  for  it. 
Address 

American  Bee  Journal 

George  W.   York.  Editor 

118-132  W.  Jackson  Blvd.  Chicago,  III. 


SOUTHERN   BEE   CULTURE 


Lewis'  Beeware 


THe  Best  Beeware  in  the  South 
The  Best  Beeware  in  the  W^orld 

Begi  iners  Should  Use  It,  Experienced  Beekeepers  Do 

Lewis  Beeware  has  been  on  the  market  30  years. 

It  always  fits,  made  of  the  finest  material, 

packed  neatly,  always  standard, 

always  the  same. 


BEWARE 

WHERE   YOU   BUY  YOUR 

BEEWARE 


MAKES  THE    FINEST 


"We  Sax  to  Yoti ! 
Mr.  BeeKeeper  in  the  Sotith, 

Lewis  Bccwarc  Is  Now  at  Your  Very  Door 


J.  J.  Wilder, 

Cordele,  Ga. 


Southwestern  Bee  Co. 

San  Antonio,  Tex. 


DISTRIBUTING   HOX7SKS 


SEND    FOR    FREE    CATALOG 


SOUTHERN   BEE  CULTURE 


"Dadant's  Foundation 


5> 


IT  EXCELS 


EVERY  INCH 

EQUAL  TO  SAMPLE 

Beauty,  Purity,  Firmness, 
No  Sagging,  No  Loss, 

27  Years  of  Experience, 

We  Guarantee  Satisfaction. 

Wax  Worked  into  Foundation 

Bee-Supplies  of  aU  Kinds 

Beeswax  Wanted  at  all  Times 


DADANT    (Sl    sons, 

Send  for  Catalog  Hamilton,  111. 


